Disdain and Regret
by Immune2Fear
Summary: I didn't mean to make him hate me, but I guess I'll hate him too if that's how it has to be.. Not that it's any easier than liking him. Neji/OC Other OCs mildly mentioned. slight Kiba/other OC. Rated for Language.
1. A Genin

**Yay! An author's note! I'd just like to say this is my first fic, and I'd appreciate any constructive criticism, NOT flames. I've been working on this story for quite a while and I'm currently writing chapter twelve and am considering a Shippuden Sequel maybe in the future. However, right now my thoughts are on this story and this story ONLY. At the same time though, I'm still unsure of how this story will play out in the future and if people will actually read it. I'm going to try my damn hardest to make sure that this story get's finished though because I know I get pissed when a good story is forgotten and never finished. So without further ado, I give you THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Disclaimer: I own only the OCs in this story. All the canon characters and setting and plot belong to the incredibly talented and amazing Masashi Kishimoto.**

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I sat uneasily on the swing outside of the academy. I had been swinging back and forth for the past half hour, waiting for my favorite little knucklehead ninja to make his way out. I was nervous because today was the day they assigned teams for the new Genins. That meant Naruto would (hopefully) be joining us as a real Genin. I knew he was probably more nervous than I was, but that didn't change the fact that I was _extremely _nervous. I bit my lip and tried to focus on something else.

My teammates Togaru and Tanoshii, they've been incredible. Togaru was a little odd at first, but now I feel like he's one of my best friends. He's very reserved and keeps to himself, but he has great potential and is an amazing ninja. He's more of a genjutsu specialist while I'm more of a ninjutsu. Tanoshii is quite far from being reserved. He's more social than Togaru I'd say, seeing as he constantly flirts with the kunoichi, much to Ino and Prin's annoyance. He's more of a Taijutsu specialist and not very good with Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. My clan is good with Ninjutsu, but we're also good with Senjutsu, which is accomplished by combining chakra with "Natural Energy" that can only be obtained by harmonizing with nature. This is particularly hard because the natural energy can overwhelm ninja who have yet to perfect it. My clan, however, can perfect this jutsu sooner than most ninja. When senjutsu is perfected, a ninja can perform jutsu with much greater power and efectiveness.

"Mizukara! Mizu! Hey!" I heard her faintly from a mile away, and I was quickly snapped out of my thoughts. I crained my neck around to see my bestfriend trotting towards me, her beautiful white hair and piercing blue eyes too hard for anyone to forget. I smiled and waved half heartedly in her direction. She stopped in front of me and put one hand on her hip and the other on the tree that the swing was hanging from.

"Any sign of blondie?"

"No.. This is seriously killing me." I let out a groan and she giggled at me.

"I really hope he made it. I bet Kazue Sensei will let us train with him and his team," Prin sighed as she crossed her arms across her chest and leaned her back against the trunk of the large tree. We both sighed.

"I don't know. It really depends on who his sensei is." I shrugged. "I'm pretty sure Juro Sensei wouldn't let my team train with them." Juro Sensei was very serious about our training. He was no Might Guy, but he knew how to beat us down to nothing when it came to training. Prin, Kauru, and Hane's sensei Kazue was a little less strict, letting them have two or three breaks every day when we only got one. She was a great sensei, nonetheless, seeing as we had trained with her team before.

Before we could say another word, we heard the chattering of the academy students exiting the building. However, one was more of a jittery holler from the very back of the crowd. Me and Prin stood straight up and on our toes trying to look for the blonde ninja.

"Mizukara! I did it! I'm a Genin!" the blonde yelled as he came sprinting towards us at an alarming pace. Me and Prin looked at eachother with gleeful shock.

"Holy-" I was cut off as the ninja tackled me to the ground and began laughing and talking at the same time, his words incomprehensible`.

"I'm with you guys now! I'm going to train like you guys and everything!" I shoved the overly hyper ninja off of me and we both stood to our feet.

"Thats great Naruto," Prin smiled at him warmly and he blushed lightly. I couldn't blame him. Prin is unnaturally beautiful, and really takes pride in herself, shamefully. Even adult women envied her beautiful hair that was as smooth and glossy as anything I'd ever seen. Her eyes were the lightest colour of blue and when she was staring at you it was dreadfully hard to look away, they were just that captivating.

"Yeah, well it was nothin'.." he chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. I laughed at him under my breath.

"So who're your teammates?" I asked him and he suddenly grew gravely serious, much to my and Prin's shock.

"Sasuke Uchiha.." he snorted. "And Sakura-chan!"

"Well.." Prin started. " that last one's pretty good for ya, right?" He nodded his head with that goofy smile of his and we all had a good laugh. As we all grew quiet, we couldn't help but hear the sound of Naruto's stomach growling, and so we decided to go out for Ramen to celebrate, Prin's treat. Her family owned a popular bakery so she had quite a bit of money to spend, not that she cared. She could care less how much money she, or anyone else for that matter, has.

We took our seats at the ramen bar and let Naruto order for us, seeing as we come here often together and we all know who likes what. Prin made sure he knew to order as much ramen as he wanted, not that he needed to be told twice. I ate my ramen quietly for the most part, my mind wandering from one thing to the other and eventually lingering on the Uchiha. It seemed like everywhere he went he had this sour look on his face, like he had a bad taste in his mouth. He's one of the best ninja to graduate the academy this year, from what I hear, and he's a little bit of an overachiever. The sight of him for me just hit a nerve, the way he looked down on everyone else. I could only imagine what Naruto would have to go through, working with the little punk. But I guess if my brother went and slaughtered my whole clan, I'd be pretty messed up too.

"Mizu-chan..!" Naruto whined, bringing me back to reality. He smiled goofily at me.

"What..?" I asked him as I chewed on my ramen. He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

"I wanted to know if I could come train with you and Prin.." he looked up at me with pleading eyes. "I asked you before."

"I wasn't paying attention, sorry.." I pushed my half eaten bowl of ramen to the side and looked up at the ninja who was taller than both me and Prin. "Sure Naruto."

"Yeah! I promise I won't let you down! I'll do my best, believe it!" he hopped from his seat and turned to face us. We turned in our seats to watch him curiously.

"Naruto, don't worry about letting us down.." Prin giggled. "We're just going to spar and stuff. We'll probably just goof off most of the time anyway, so.." But the spikey haired blonde was already out of the ramen bar and around the corner. I gave her a shrug, and we layed down the payment and left.

"That idiot.." Prin growled under her breath. I gave her a questioning glance. "He has no idea where we're doing this at. We better go tell the dumbass.."

"How about we don't and say we did..?" I replied, and we shared a laugh as she agreed, throwing her arm over my shoulder as we skipped off towards the Ibaraka Bakery where me and Prin shared a shift to work when we weren't training. I enjoyed working there because I got to hang out with Prin, and since her parents owned the bakery and knew me well, I got paid good and got the chance to goof off with her. When we were left alone at the bakery we usually gave our friends free sweets and let them hang out behind the counter with us. Prin didn't much care since it gave her an excuse to make some more. She loves baking.

"So we'll work untill just before sun set, then we will go get our stuff and head to Juro's training spot," I told her as we strolled through the comforting warmth radiating from the sun. She nodded in response.

"I really love doing this," she said. "And best of all, Kazue and Juro love us for training when they aren't around! Kazue praises me all the time." She had a faint glow in her eye as she let out a relaxed sigh.

I snorted. "Well we aren't going to just joke around this time, you know. Your Taijutsu is seriously shitty." She put on a mask of fake shock and hurt, bringing her palm to her chest in a deep gasp. We laughed the rest of the way to the bakery.

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About an hour after we started working, Prin's parents had to leave for the rest of the day, meaning we had to close up. Business had been booming there for a while, but as the sun kept getting farther away, people had been coming in only rarely. I whiped off the counter and cleaned off the small tables that littered the bakery while Prin made a fresh batch of daifuku.

Throughout the day, we had had random Genin come in asking for a free snack. Apparently, after we gave Kiba and Akamaru a free treat, word spread quickly. We even had Rock Lee come in earlier after his training for one of Prin's Daifukus. They'd been doing well today for some reason.

I leaned on the counter and glanced over the empty bakery. "I'm still shocked Naruto hasn't showed up."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Prin shouted from the kitchen. "Seems like we've seen almost everyone else _but_ him." I went into the kitchen and snuck up behind Prin, who was bent over getting something out of the oven.

"I think we should close up early." She jumped at the sound of my voice and I sniggered at her as she slapped me in the back of the head.

She let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, sun's about to set anyway. I'll meet you there in about an hour. You can go ahead and head out." She put the pan on the counter and started putting the treats on a seperate platter.

"Alright. See you there." I waved over my shoulder as I jogged out of the kitchen. I was eager to get out of the cramped old bakery and get a little fresh air. I burst out the door and took in a deep breath. I heard someone gasp in surprise and I glanced to my left to see the stranger.

His milky coloured eyes were slightly wide from my suddenly bursting through the door. His long, blackish brown, silky hair was shining in what was left of the sunlight as he whipped it out of his line of vision, any trace of surprise suddenly gone from his face. I guessed he must have been about to go into the bakery.

"Sorry Neji," I apologized. "were you fixing to go in the bakery? I didn't mean to burst out like that.."

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and replied simply but sternly, "No."

"Oh.. Uh, okay." I stepped around him and started walking. "See you around. "He grunted in response. I continued walking awkwardly back to my house, wondering why the hell Neji would be standing so close to the door if he weren't interested in getting anything from the bakery. It was quite a few feet from the street where the villagepeople walked, so it wouldn't make since for him to just be passing by. I shrugged and forgot about it as I entered my house and went straight up to my room. My parents weren't home at the time, so I just grabbed my things and headed out quickly. Before leaving, I made sure I had all the essentials in my pack as I left my compound; shuriken, kunai, and medical supplies just in case. I planned on pushing Prin pretty hard this time, but I still wanted to have fun doing it.

As I shut my pouch and rounded the corner to my usual training spot, I met the same cold stare of Neji Hyuuga. When he quickly looked away, I did too, heading straight for the usual training spot. Was he stalking me or something? And when he looks at me, why does it feel so.. _awkward_?

"Mizu-chan!" I jumped and spun around to face Naruto who raised an eyebrow at me in confusion. His confusion was quickly replaced with a goofy smile. "I knew you'd be here!"

"Uh, yeah," I replied faintly, feeling the Hyuuga stare holes in the back of my head as me and Naruto entered the training grounds.

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**I hope my definition of Senjutsu was understandable.. I'm very much just learning about it, and if anyone out there is willing to help me with some of the details surrounding Senjutsu, I'd greatly appreciate it. :) Please read and review. Many more chapters to come!**


	2. Jealous? I don't blame you

**Funny. My first chapter was two thousand something words and it was my shortest by far. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the OCs in this fic. However, I would pay any price to own Neji or Naruto. **

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"You don't stand a chance Naruto-kun!"

"Ha! Whatever you say Prin! When I'm done with you you'll never wanna train with me again!"

I silently sniggered to myself at the sight of the two. Listening to the two jabber and beat the shit out of each other had broken my concentration. I had been doing my usual ritual, meditating, while Prin and Naruto took their turn at a friendly spar. Standing up from my sitting position on top of one of the wooden training posts, I sighed and hopped the eight or nine feet down. Naruto and Prin turned their attention to me.

"You ready now?" Prin asked me as I approached the two. I nodded and her and Naruto began to consult who would be sparring me. Out of earshot, I saw Prin roll her eyes and shove the knucklehead ninja who only chuckled in response. She got into her fighting stance; feet exactly a foot apart, knees bent slightly, one hand ready to dip into her weapon pouch as soon as the fight started. I smiled and got into my stance as well.

"Go." She rushed at me, kunai drawn, ready to gouge my eyes out. I slapped her wrist, sending the kunai flying in the other direction, not much to her surprise. She went to punch the base of my jaw but I countered, grabbing her wrist and kneeing her in the gut once. She staggered backwards and I took the opening.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Ten or so other me's filled the area, each simultaneously grabbing a couple shuriken from the weapon pouch and tossing them at the beautiful white haired ninja. However, when the shuriken came close to making contact, a substitution jutsu was put into play and the shuriken stuck into the log of wood. I pivoted on my left foot and blocked the oncoming ninja's rock hard punch that was aimed for the back of my head.

"Damn!" she cursed as she "disappeared" from view, or so it seemed due to her incredible speed. I mimicked her action, speeding from my position out in the open to the highest branch in one of the trees that surrounded the training area. I bit my lip trying not to laugh at the clueless ninja who kept looking from side to side for someone she wasn't going to find. I let out a battle cry, jumping from my crouch on the branch and knocked her hard on top of the head, throwing her to the ground. She let out a groan in pain (or was it irritation?) as I landed on my feet next to her.

"You must be tired. That was even worse than last time," I stated as she struggled to raise herself from the dirt and wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth. I looked at her pitifully.

"I.. I am really tired.." she replied as she cluched her ribs. Naruto looked at her with concern in his eyes. I could tell by how droopy his eyes were that he, too, was tired.

I sighed and said, "Naruto, you look tired too. You should help her get home and then get yourself some rest." He looked like he was fighting a battle within himself and I instinctively knew it was about whether or not to stay. "You did good. You might hurt yourself if you try anything else while you're so drowsy." I whiped my own droopy, sleepy eyes as Naruto nodded and helped Prin to her feet, tossing her arm around his neck.

"Thanks for letting me train with you Mizu-chan!" he sang over his shoulder as he limped away with Prin.

"No problem Naruto," I smiled as he and Prin left me alone. It was now that I realized the sun was beginning to rise from the far end of the sky. I decided to do a little more meditating to relax before I start training again. When I train alone, I don't feel like I progress as well as I do when I get to spar or train with my team or anyone else for that matter. But either way, I need to train, and I'm not likely to turn down the oportunity to do so.

I took my previous spot on top of the wooden post and crossed my legs, closing my eyes and letting every stressful muscle relax and every strained thought go astray as I focused my chakra. When I got to meditating, it not only perfected my flow of natural energy and senjutsu, but also the flow of my chakra. I steadied my chakra and let the natural energy flow around me, an aura of sorts forming around my frame as I knit my brows together in slight frustration. I could focus better than this couldn't I? I didn't notice it at first, but a faint hum flowed through my pursed lips as I began to focus solely on my chakra and natural energy. I could feel the natural energy flowing and pumping harder now, and it felt good. I wondered how long I could keep the balance going.

I heard and felt fast paced steps coming towards me and I immediately let go of my meditation, waiting for the stranger to show their face as I grabbed a kunai from my pouch and sat up in a low crouch.

Then I saw Lee gasping for air as he appeared at the edge of the clearing, looking alert and serious for a few seconds, but soon relaxing at the sight of me. He offered a warm smile and said, "Oh, it's only you, Mizu chan. I was wondering where that wave of chakra was coming from." He approached me further and I now realized he was sweating. He must be on his early 15 mile run that he does every morning.

"Hm," I let out a puff of air as I hopped from the post and landed a foot or so in front of Lee. "I've been training."

"Oh.. It was pretty strong, it felt like." I blushed. "Guy Sensei said we were to train here today, so I decided to get a head start. Do you mind me asking why you are here so early in the morning?"

"Naruto and Prin left here earlier. We had an all night training session," I told him as I walked over to the travel pack Prin had left with me, grabbing a cantine of water and tossing it to the breathless ninja. "I didn't know you planned on training here.. I would've left already."

"Thank you, Mizu-chan." He took a long drink before handing back the cantine and wiping the sweat from his eyes. "Thats okay. We aren't even suppose to behere for another two hours or so." I arched an eye brow at the fuzzy browed ninja who looked back at me with a look of complete calmness. I sighed.

"You truely are dedicated, aren't you Lee-kun?" He blushed at my statement and smiled at me. I thought for a moment, feeling how loose I still was, I said, "Would you like to spar?"

His fuzzy brows shot up in shimmering excitement. "Yes! I would! How youthful of you to ask!" _God what was I doing?_

"Alright." I turned my back to him and walked calmly with one foot in front of the other, my hips swaying slightly at the motion. I stopped a few feet away and spun on my heel to face him, who had already gotten into fighting stance. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"..Go." I barely got the word out of my mouth before he charged at me at an alarmingly fast speed. I jerked out of his direction and felt a stong gust of wind hit my face as he blew past me, running into a tree that he bounced off of, fist back towards his shoulder blade ready to let loose. I barely blocked it due to the incredible force behind it. I focused my chakra as we went at it, fists flying and getting blocked, feet kicking and getting swatted away, whether it be mine or his. This went on for what felt like forever untill one of us would rush to a different place, the other following behind and starting the process all over. Before I could counter, he got a hit me right on my jaw and I staggered backwards, both of us gasping for air.

"You.. You're too fast.." I fell to a knee and rested my arm across the other as I bent my head down and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths of air. I heard his unsteady breathing come closer and when I looked up he held an outstretched hand to me. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. He smiled.

"That was impressive Mizu-chan." He placed a hand on my shoulder and I returned his smile.

"You know the only reason you had the upper hand was because I was tired, Lee-kun." I shrugged his hand off my shoulder playfully.

"I guess I'll give you that one this time, Mizukara." I blinked several times in confusion. I was expecting him to start up a playful argument, but he said nothing. I decided that since I was so tired from the sleepless night and my muscles ached that I should get my things and head home. Before I did this though, I dressed some of my minor, yet still painful, wounds.

I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Maybe we can do this again sometime, Lee-kun. Sometime when I'm not tired or beaten." He laughed.

"Excuses, excuses.."

"Shut up!"

We shared a laugh as I waved over my shoulder, starting to exit the clearing, only to come face to face with Neji Hyuuga, whose eyes narrowed for some reason when he saw me. I guessed it must've been from the many bruises and bled-though gauze that were all over my limbs.

"Neji," I nodded as I made to step around him.

"What happened to you?" His question was abrupt and direct.

I turned back to face him. "I've been training all night with Prin and Naruto-kun." He nodded in realization, but I could see a hint of irritation on his features for some unknown reason. I tried my best to ignore it.

"So you felt that powerful chakra nearby?" He looked directly at me, his lavender eyes seeming to scan me up and down.

"She _was _that chakra!" Lee piped up as he approached me and Neji further. Neji's gaze on me intensified much to my discomfort.

"Well, I should go," I sighed and made to leave the clearing again. "Thanks again for the spar Lee-kun!"

"Spar?" Neji looked from me to Lee.

I smirked and glanced at him from over my shoulder. "Maybe we can spar sometime, Neji." And with that I left the training grounds and made my way back to the streets of Konoha.

I like the feeling you get when the villagers are watching you with curious, and some admirable, eyes as you walk down the small streets with the Konoha headband, beaten and battered and bloodstained. It gives you a feeling of great pride as the young kids look at you with wide, admirable eyes as they pull on their mother's sleeves and point in your direction saying, "Mommy, I wanna be like her. I'm gonna be a ninja." I smiled.

As I made my way towards my clan compound, I let out a loud yawn before closing my eyes and putting my hands behind my head, letting the first penetrating rays of sunlight relax my sore muscles. Of course, nothing good lasts forever.

"Mizukara!" I realized the familiarly childish tone almost immediately.

"Tanoshii," I replied simply and plainly, opening one eye to look at the spikey brown-haired ninja with minimum intrest.

"Why are you up so early? Another training session with Prin? You should've invited me! I could've shown Prin my sweet moves.." he mused for several more minutes before I let out an irritated sigh that he took notice too.

"Juro Sensei said we've got some special training tomorrow with Might Guy's team. I was wondering if you knew what it would be.."

I looked at him blankly. "I don't know. Why didn't I know anything about this?"

"He told me to tell you and Togaru. I saw him this morning on his way to see the Hokage about some mission.." I nodded in understanding as he explained. The thought of training with Might Guy's team was slightly unbelievable, mainly because Juro is so particular about our training. He must really trust Guy.

After I talked to Tanoshii for a few minutes, I continued on my way home. When I finally made it, I collapsed on my bed and went to sleep almost immediately.

**

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I woke up at 4:30 the next morning, much to own shock and amusement. I was expecting to wake up the previous night. I let out a groan and rolled out of bed and went straight to the shower. I stripped out of my filthy, bloody clothes and stepped into the now running hot water. It stung some of the wounds, but the burning eventually fizzled away and the warm water felt incredibly soothing. I washed up quickly before shutting the water off and wrapping a towel around my naked form as I walked back to my small room and retrieved a fresh change of clothes for the day. I put them on and fixed my hitai-ate on my head before snatching my weapons and heading out the door.

I let out a yawn as I stretched my arms and legs, popping a few of the joints. Tanoshii had told me the location of where we would be training yesterday; east of our training grounds. This was about all I knew of where to go, so I hoped and prayed I wouldn't get lost or be late. I rubbed my somehow still sleepy eyes and looked straight ahead of me to see someone walking a few yards ahead.

Neji must've just came from the Hyuuga compound that I pass everyday on my way home. I decided to catch up with him and hope that he knew where he was going. "Neji!" He turned to face me and I jogged up to meet him. His expression softened slightly.

"Sadurobi Mizukara. You're training with our team today." I nodded in response.

"I hope you know where you're going because I don't." I thought I saw him smirk. "All Tanoshii bothered to tell me was that it was a good ways east of where we usually train, the idiot.."

"I know where it is." We were silent the whole walk to the training grounds, and I wondered why he seemed slightly more talkative and giddy than usual, not to say he was _very _talkative or giddy. We walked upon Rock Lee, Togaru, and Tenten. I guessed Tanoshii was going to be late again.

"Where's Tano?" I asked Togaru, who shrugged in response.

"Sleeping in again, I bet." I let out a groan and Tenten giggled.

"It's fine. Guy Sensei probably won't be here anytime soon either. He's always a little late," Tenten informed me as I went to sit next to her on the large stump she was sitting on. She had looked at me and Neji awkwardly when we walked in together, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

"Mizu-chan! How are you?" Lee asked out of the random I arched an eye brow at the ninja before smiling warmly at the sight of his big eyes and bushy eye brows.

"Fine," I said. "After I went home, I slept for almost 24 hours. I just got up." I giggled slightly in embarassment.

"I guess our spar must've done you in, huh?"

"Something like that."

We continued to chat and laugh about random things untill we heard Tanoshii speeding towards the clearing, no doubt in a rush. Neji chuckled slightly.

"I'm here! I made it!" He stopped in front of me and doubled over with his hands on his knees as he began to breath hard. "Hey, where's Guy?"

"Not here. He's due any minute-" TenTen was caught off gaurd when her sensei appeared in a puff of smoke only a few feet away. He made an awkward pose and flashed a shimmering smile at us.

"Hello my youthful students," he stood up straight from his pose. "And Juro's youthful students."

"Hello Guy Sensei!" Lee piped up and bowed to his sensei, something we never dared do to our sensei. Juro Sensei hated anyone treating him unformally. He said the only person that deserved such formality is the hokage.

"Today I want fifteen laps around Konoha. Then we will start the real training." Everyone let out a groan except Lee who started right ahead.

**

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**

"Today our main focus is chakra control." Guy demonstrated the task as he ran up one of the many trees that surrounded the clearing with chakra focused to his feet. He ran up and marked his distance near the top of the tree.

_Sweet_, I though. _Chakra control is so easy. And this tree thing? It's so old school! _We all stood infront of a tree and waited for Guy's instructions to start. I put a foot on the trunk of the tree and focused my chakra to the same foot, testing how much chakra I would need to hold myself up. I pulled my foot back from the trunk and looked back at Guy.

"Smart Mizukara! How youthful of you to do such a thing!" he praised me and suddenly I felt five extra pairs of eyes on me. "You all should do as Mizukara. Check to see how much chakra you'll need to hold yourself up to reach the top." Neji gave me a cold stare, but did as he was told. The others did the same, Tanoshii almost falling due to loss of balance, but catching himself before hitting the ground.

"Alright," Guy put his hand up in the air before quickly moving it downward."Go!"

I ran up the tree as quickly as I could, careful to keep my chakra focused, though I knew that wouldn't be a problem. If I had any problem at all, it would probably be my balance, but if I got up and down the tree quick enough, I wouldn't have to worry about losing my balance. I sped up my pace, kunai in hand. I heard Tanoshii fall from his tree ten feet above the ground, and Now I realized it was only me, Neji, and Togaru. Neji glanced in my direction and narrowed his eyes as he sped up. I knit my brows together and increased my pace as well, falling into step with him. I could feel myself starting to lose my balance, and saw Neji's own feet shaking slightly. I made my mark and jumped back down the tree at the same time as Neji, hoping I had done better than him. Togaru was at the bottom waiting for us, so I guessed he must have marked his spot before us.

"I guess I should check who won this round, huh?" Guy said as he started up the tree jumping from limb to limb. I caught Neji's glance and we held an intimidating stare for what felt like the longest time, his lavender eyes boring into mine. Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself and just watched us with sempathetic eyes. We broke our stare when Guy jumped down from the trees.

"Well this was certainly remarkable.." he mused as he approached me and Neji. "Youthful at best! I'm proud to have you on my Team Neji!" He flashed me an arrogant smirk and I could feel myself fixing to explode on him. "But the young and beautiful Mizukara won this round by nearly three inches!"

Neji looked at his sensei with astonished, pupiless eyes that then flashed with anger and irrotation as they shifted to me. I smirked at him the same way he did. There were no words exchanged between anyone in the group besides Guy, who was musing at our talent and youthfulness. The others just watched us with wide eyes, jaws agape, in complete shock, much to my amusement.

"Wow.." I could hear his teeth grounding together behind his lips. "I thought you were better than that." I could almost feel the flames burning in his eyes from the pure hatred he had towards me. I was practically begging him to kick my ass, but I didn't care.

I just smiled innocently at the fuming Hyuuga.

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**Chapter three coming tomorrow, maybe tonight. Depends on if I can get to my computer or not. Review! :)**


	3. Spying

**Yaaay Chappie numero tres. :) Thanks for reviewing KouriKanji. It ment a great deal to me. For being my first review, you have earned yourself a cookie. :) Hahahah.. Here's the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except those OCs. Those are mine. I _really _want a Neji plushie, though. That would be really epic.**

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Prin and I layed calmly on the hokage heads that overlooked Konoha, the sun beating down on us burning incredibly hot. We had found ourselves here often when when had nothing else to do, days after training or before training. Prin's parents had even let us leave our shifts early. I sighed and pulled myself up into a sitting position. Prin did the same and turned to face me.

"Somethin' wrong Mizu-chan?"

I shrugged and replied, "I just have this feeling Naruto is looking for us again." She laughed and before she could say anything, the future hokage himself came running towards us. Prin gave me a look that asked, "How the hell do you do that?"

He skidded to a stop behind us as we crained our necks to look at him and waited for him to say something. "I've got a mission!"

"A mission sounds good right about now.." Prin sighed, peircing blue eyes turning to the clear sky.

"Yeah it's been so boring these past few weeks," I agreed, thinking back those few weeks to when I had beaten Neji by those three inchest that seemed to be eating him alive from what Lee told me. He said he's been practicing every day on the trees at their training grounds, all over three inches. I chuckled at the memory.

"Guys! I've got a _mission_!" he replied, this time with more feeling and anticipation. We laughed.

"Sorry Naruto-kun.. We're really happy for you!" He blushed at Prin's comment. "What's the mission?"

"Escort and assist this dude Tazuna back to Wave Country," he stated plainly. We grunted in response. When he saw that was all we had to offer to his news, he took a seat next to us and gazed over the bustling village of Konoha. I layed there for the longest time, it felt like. Since there didn't seem to be anything else to do today, I decided I would go train, leaving Prin and Naruto to sightsee on their own.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of the sun as I entered the local training grounds. I had so far tuned out all the sounds around me untill now, realizing that there was a team already occupying the area. I recognized them as Hyuuga Hinata, Neji's cousin, Aburame Shino, the weird yet extremely talented new graduate, and Inuzuka Kiba, who I giggled at remembering. Apposed to all the other guys in Konoha who gaped at her, Prin had a thing for one of the roughest and craziest of them all, Kiba. Not to say he doesn't gape at her like all the others.

"Sadurobi Mizukara." I heard a feminine voice call after me as I had just turned to retreat from the area. I turned around to see the beautiful Kurenai as well as three, or four if you count Kiba's dog, pairs of eyes looking curiously back at me. I never really understood why, but I had a respect for her that was unspoken for; I guessed probably because of the fact she's one of the only women among all men in her rank. I reluctantly approached her, a faint, welcoming smile played on her lips.

"Yes, Kurenai-sama?" I replied in the most polite way I could as I dipped before her in a shallow but moderately respectful bow, going against all Juro Sensei had taught me about formality. God, I hoped she didn't tell him. She laughed slightly.

"Oh there's no need for that." She waved her hand carelessly in the air. "Were you looking to train here?"

I scratched the back of my head and replied, "Well yeah, but I can go somewhere else. I didn't realize you're team was here." I gestured toward her three students. Hinata looked up at me in slight amazement, though I couldn't understand why, and Kiba had an arrogant, overconfident smirk on his face as his eyes bored into mine. Shino had a bug crawling on his fingers and he had all his focus on the tiny creature.

"I heard you and your team trained with Guy's team. He said you had incredible chakra control." Shino had looked up from his bug at this.

"Yeah," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. "It wasn't a very complicated or difficult technique though." I'm not great at being modest.

"Well I was wondering if you would be so kind as to help my students with their chakra control. They're struggling with it." I found this hard to believe seeing as Hinata was a Hyuuga. If she had the same blood in her veins as Neji, how could she not have impecable chakra control? Kiba, now, _he_ was debatable.

"Er, sure I guess.." I replied reluctantly, not wanting to disappoint Kurenai as she was looking at me with pleading eyes. She smiled in delight as we set off toward a small clearing not far from the training grounds, deciding it would be best to try the water walking trick on one of the small ponds. I smiled at the memory of doing this with my team, all the times we messed up and ended up getting soaked. I let the thought fizzle away as I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Y-you beat Neji-kun didn't you..?" Hinata asked as I looked back at her. I nodded slowly, noticing Kiba was listening as well. His eyes grew wide in shock.

"You beat Neji Hyuuga?" he asked a little too loudly and Kurenai glanced over her shoulder with a slight laugh.

"It wasn't a spar or anything. We were working on chakra control," I told him. His eyes didn't change their shape.

"H-He was very angry.. He's been training a lot.. Working on his chakra control.." Hinata added. I snorted.

"He can't stand to lose, damn Hyuuga." Hinata flinched at my words. "He gave me the dirtiest looks.." I chuckled under my breath at the memory of his flaring eyes and grounding teeth, threatening to bark something intimidating but not in the presence of his sensei.

"So you are as good as they say..." We all brought our attention to Shino, who hadn't spoken at all since I had joined them. "At controlling chakra.."

"I resent that. People don't talk about _me _when there's the Uchiha, Neji.." I babbled on for several more seconds before Kiba laughed out loud cousing me to give him a confused look.

"You're lying though your teeth! You know your good!" I blushed, but said nothing. It was true; I had a reputation for my chakra control, but not exactly me _particularly_. It was second nature for my clan, and growing up I remember my older sister and all my cousins working on their chakra control, through meditation most commonly. I had surpassed my cousins at a young age however, as well as my sister Hasegawa. Hasegawa was an incredible ninja, working hard and training hard every second she could. I always wanted her to train me, but she couldn't ever find the time.

I remember the night she left Konoha. It was dark and the rain was pouring down with incredible force onto the thin roof over top all of the tiny homes in the compound. She was about fifteen at the time and I was only eight, making the memory almost hard to remember and understand. Our parents were in bed long since and she had come into my room thinking I was asleep to tell me goodbye. She had several bags over her shoulder and on her back, and she was wearing her ANBU mask.

_"Hasegawa, where are you going?" I asked as I sat up in bed, rubbing my sleepy eyes as she approached my bed and took a seat on the end. She pushed up the mask revealing her flawless features and brushed a stray strand of my hair behind my ear._

_"I'm going away Mizukara." Here eyes looked glassy in the dim light that came from the full moon outside my window. I felt tears stinging my eyes._

_"Where are you going Nee-san?" I choked as a single tear spilled over. I rubbed it away quickly, embarassed to be crying in the presence of my honorable sister._

_"I.. I can't say," she whispered as she moved closer to me. "Just know this; I love you and I promise, one day, I will come and train you like you've always wanted me too." She hugged me close to her and she sniffed back her own tears. "I don't know how long I will be gone, but I promise I'll come back. Someday.."_

_"I love you too Nee-san," I replied as she kissed by forehead once before standing up and pulling the mask back down over her face. She gave my one last glance before she jumped out of my bedroom window, the last time I would ever see her again._

"Alright, Mizukara." I hadn't realized we had reached the clearing untill I heard Kurenai's soft voice. "Do your thing."

I walked the length between us and the pond that was at the far end of the clearing, the three ninja following close behind. I cleared my throat and said, "First you might want to test the water to see how much chakra you'll need to focus in order to walk across the pond without falling in." I put my foot to the water's surface and focused my chakra to that foot, the others watching the faint glow of the chakra at the sole. I pulled my foot back and whirled around to face them. "Simple enough, right?"

"If you say so," Kiba sighed as he and his teammates approached the pond and placed a single foot to the surface. I struggled not to laugh as Kiba almost lost his balance making Akamaru whine and hop from his hood to sit at Kurenai's feet.

"Ok, now, keeping the amount of chakra needed in mind, just focus it back to both your feet and walk." I stepped halfway across the pond flawlessly before spinning around to watch the three Genin. Shino stepped onto the surface with little to no difficulty at all and walked over next to me before turning to watch his struggling teammates.

"Oi, you're not so bad yourself huh?" He grunted in reponse, not taking his eyes from Hinata and Kiba. Hinata was moving considerably faster than Kiba, who was beginning to lose his balance. I let out a sigh.

"Kiba, focus more chakra. Then maybe you wouldn't lose your balance," Kurenai instructed as she walked alongside the fanged boy who held his arms out to the sides in a useless attempt to regain his balance. He fell forward, grabbing at Hinata's sleeve at the last second. Hinata grabbed his hand and attempted to help him up again, his calves already below the surface.

"Kiba-kun, y-you're too heavy!" Before Hinata could speak another word, her and Kiba both fell into the cold water with a splash so big that Shino and I had to step away from it to keep from getting wet. Shino let out a sigh.

"That wasn't so bad," Kiba said as he made it to the surface first, Hinata surfacing seconds later. "Sorry Hinata.."

"It's fine Kiba-kun.." she giggled slightly as she made her way to the bank, Kiba following, to try again.

I sighed and mumbled under my breath, "Prin doesn't know what she's getting herself into.."

**

* * *

**

Prin and I decided to stay with Naruto untill he left for his mission early the next morning. Since Prin and I each had training to do, we needed to get up early and saw no harm in getting up a few hours earlier to hang out with our favorite knucklehead ninja.

"Where is he? Is he _ever _on time for _anything_?" Naruto paced back and forth near the Konoha gates while Prin, Sakura, Sasuke, and I just watched him fume. It was anything but boring.

"Naruto, will you shut up?" the pink kunoichi scolded him with an irritated thump on the head. Prin growled.

"Watch yourself, pinky. I'd hate to break that pretty little neck of yours," she snarled and Sakura's eyes grew wide in fear. I elbowed Prin in the ribs and I didn't miss the smirk on the Uchiha's usually hard-as-stone face. Judging by the look of confusion on Naruto's face, he didn't know whether to laugh or to chew Prin out for threatening his love.

"If your sensei isn't here in the next ten minutes, we're gonna have to head out, Naruto. We have to train." The blonde looked even more impatient and saddened by my words. I sighed.

"..No one invited you here in the first place," the Uchiha looked up at us from the corner of his eye in dishonor. I felt Prin tense and Sakura inwardly cheer for her Sasuke.

"_You _didn't invite us, smartass. We're here for Naruto-kun," I replied in the rudest tone I could muster up, only to have the Uchiha carelessly turn his nose in the other direction. Prin and I smiled at our victory.

"Haha! You just got told!" Naruto hollered with his booming laugh as Sakura drew back her fist in irritation. Before anyone could blink, Prin was behind the pink kunoichi with a firm grasp on her wrist. Sakura gasped in horror and Prin twisted her wrist to the left with one swift motion causing Sakura to yelp out in pain.

"You think about what you were about to do, forehead." I visibly saw a shiver go down the girl's spine. "If you lay a finger on my whiskered buddy here, trust me, I'll know." She swallowed a lump in her throat but said nothing as Prin let go of her wrist and came back to my side. I smiled at her. She's always been that way; overconfident, intimidating, short tempered, and even annoying at times. Still, you have to love the snowy haired kunoichi.

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke, followed by the apprearance of a silver haired sensei, who I could only guess was Hatake Kakashi.

"Oi! Finally you decided to show up!" Naruto yelled at Kakashi, who payed no attention to anyone or anything but his book. "We gotta get going!" They all approached the gates that would take them outside Konoha's walls, where anything could happen and anyone could get hurt. I shook the thought away as I waved at the hyperactive blonde.

I giggled. "See you when you get back Naruto-kun!" I yelled only to hear him yell something back I could only guess was "See you!"

"I'll see you at the bakery Prin-chan," I said before sprinting off.

"Hai," I heard her reply as she went off in the oposite direction.

When I got to our training grounds, Togaru was beating on one of the training dummies and Tanoshii was laying on the soft grass, looking up at the sky. I layed next to him without a word.

"Neji's pissed." He said it simply and calmly.

"God, I've only heard that seventy-thousand times. I really don't care anymore," I replied in a snarky tone only to hear Togaru chuckle. "If he's that pissed, I don't know if I should fear for my life or what."

"Oh, he's pissed," Togaru added from the few feet away where he was taking a breather from his training. I groaned again. Maybe if I let him beat me, he wouldn't be so upset. I pondered this thought for only a few seconds more as Juro sensei had decided to make his appearance. We stood up straight at the sight of him and he smiled approvingly at the gesture.

"Alright," he said in his deep, low voice. "Mizukara, Tanoshii, since you two want to look at the sky all day and slack off, how about a spar?"

"Loser runs fifteen laps around Konoha," I added with a sly smirk and a wink in Tanoshii's direction.

Tanoshii snorted. "With weights!"

"Fifteen laps with weights it is," Juro agreed. "Go." Tanoshii started right off throwing some kunai. I caught the first one and used it to deflect the others before throwing it back at him and watching it slice his cheek, leaving a line of crimson liquid that he whiped away quickly before kicking into over drive.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" I was surrounded by ten or twelve Tanoshii's all pulling out shuriken to throw my way, giving me an opening to use a substitution jutsu and swiftly jump into the nearest tree. I took out all the shadow clones and when the smoke cleared, he was clueless as to where I was, making Togaru laugh out loud. I jumped from my perch in the tree and went straight for a head shot. He looked up and his eyes widened in shock; it was perfect. I landed a perfect kick in between his eyes and he let out a yelp as it made contact. I jumped to my feet and skidded a few feet before getting into a defensive stance and watching him clutch his throbbing forehead.

I backed away slowly and smiled as I made several hand seals and said, " Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!" I dove down into the ground and made my way under my dazed and confused opponent.

"_Sucker_," I chuckled to myself before punching through the ground and grabbing his ankle. He struggled against my grip, but it wasn't enough, and I drug him under ground.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" I jumped out of the hole as my shadow clones clogged both ways out and began pounding him. I walked over to Juro sensei.

"Say, where'd you put those weights?"

* * *

**OoOoO Neji's POV OoOoO**

I walked slowly through the dense grasses and undergrowth in search of Lee and Tenten. We had to train early this morning, though I couldn't understand why, but there was no point in arguing with Guy Sensei. I had yet to find either of them in our indicated training area.

I did, however, come across someone elses.

I began to ground my teeth together when I saw her, the memory of her actually _beating _me when training with _our _team.. It infuriated me to no end. Still, for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to approach her or challenge her. Something about her made me rethink coming in contact with her, not sure of how she would react or if she would laugh in my face or something. I don't know why I cared about what _she _thought about me, but I didn't feel so cautious about anyone else but her.

How odd.

I peeked through the trees and into the clearing where her sensei was watching her spar that worthless pest that had barely made it out of the academy; I can't even remember his name. He had little to no talent, yet somehow he managed to get on a team, and not just any team. He got on a team with her, one of the strongest and smartest of the female nins Konoha has to offer. How they managed to get the smartest and the dumbest on the same team was beyond me but then again, there _was_ Naruto and Sasuke's team.

I was jerked from my thoughts when Tanoshii let out a yelp. I arched an eyebrow as she rolled to her feet and expertly got into a defensive stance. _Impressive_..

She smiled for some unknown reason before making several hand seals, then yelling, "Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!" My eyes grew wide at her odd choice of tactic, but against someone as unskilled at him, you could use about any technique and beat his ass. I watched as she disappeared under the surface of the Earth and snatched the confused nin's ankle, dragging him under ground and leaving a big hole where she did so. I heard the faint sound of her voice scream something that sounded like, "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!", but that couldn't be right.

Or could it? What was she trying to pull?

I only grew more confused when she jumped out of the hole completely the same, like she'd never even lifted a finger. She smirked at her baffled sensei and said, "Say, where'd you put those weights?"

"She's definitely a smart one, huh Neji?" I jumped at the sound of Lee's voice and turned only to find him crouched behind me, watching from over my shoulder. I must've been incredibly unaware of my surrounding to not have felt him come up on me.

"Whatever," I snorted as I stood to my feet and turned back around, only to come face to face with Juro, his pupil walking not far behind.

"What is it I can help you two with?" Juro asked us in his most polite tone, which wasn't very polite at all. I flinched.

"Uh, n-nothing. We were just-"

"Oi! Hey Lee-kun! Neji!" Mizukara greeted us cheerfully as she approached. I fought the urge to scowl at her.

"Hello Mizu-chan. We are terribly sorry to interrupt your training," Lee replied in a more polite tone than Juro. Juro's expression softened at Lee's words, unlike me who he gave an awkward glance to.

"We'll just be leaving," I blurted as I grabbed Lee's arm and drug him out of the clearing.

* * *

**Thanks for reading this so far. :U More chapters to come! Lots and lots of chapters! Read and Review! I love reviews!**

**XOXO, Hana-chan.**


	4. A NotSoFriendly Spar

**I never realized how long these chapters were untill I started posting them. _ Please forgive me. If this is a problem, let me know and I will try to shorten them. Que disclaimer!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING EXCEPT THE OCs in this fic. All recognizable characters, settings, plot, etc. belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I still really want a Neji plushie... Anyone..? **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**MIZUKARA'S POV**

I sat restlessly behind the counter of the Ibaraka Bakery for the third time this week. It was a routine to come here and work after our training every day, and it's getting incredibly old and very boring, especially without Naruto around to goof off with. Het's only been gone for three days, but it feels like it's been years, and I know Prin feels the same way.

She was late getting in today, and I guessed it was Kazue making them train a little longer than normal. By a little longer, I mean two hours. I was pissed.

"I'm sorry Mizu-chan," she apologized as she walked through the door and saw the crowd at the counter. "Kazue Sensei had us training for a _long _time.." I could tell she was exhausted as she slumped into the kitchen to start baking. It didn't take long for the crowd to deminish and, when it did, I went into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired.." She stretched her bruised and battered limbs over her head and yawned. "I miss my Naruto."

I laughed. "Oi! Me too Prin-chan."

We made our way back to the front counter and took a few orders for the few people who had made their way into the tiny bakery while we were in the kitchen. I smiled brightly when Lee came through the door.

"Hey Lee-kun! I was wondering where you and Neji were when you weren't spying on us during out training today," I mocked with a giggle. "What can I get you?"

"Oh, I'm not here to eat anything," he replied. Me and Prin exchanged a glance before turning back to him, wondering what he came for. "I came to tell you that Naruto and his team ran into problems on the bridge while escorting that guy to Wave Country."

"What kind of problems?" I asked in slight curiosity and horror at what my mind was piecing together may have happened to Naruto.

"Him and Sasuke faught a great battle. They ended up killing two men who attempted to get in their way. I marvel at their incredible youth!" We ignored the shining, passionate flame burning in his eyes.

"Is Naruto-kun okay?" Prin asked, concern weaving through her every word.

"I am uncertain of this," Lee replied. "However, they are due back any time now.."

Me and Prin shoved out of our aprons and practically jumped over the counter, to Lee's surprise. "Oi! Mom, we have to leave early! It's an emergency!" We couldn't hear her reply as we ran out the door, dragging Lee with us. When we were within sight of the Konoha gates, we saw Naruto and his team just entering back into town. I released Lee.

"Naruto-kun!" Prin and I yelled as we sprinted towards the clueless ninja at full speed, his eyes widening before the impact and he let out an "oomph" sound when he hit the ground.

"Naruto are you okay? We were so worried!" Prin wrapped her arms around the blondes waist and he laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm completely fine, Prin-chan, Mizu-chan. No need to worry." He smiled assuringly at us before we got back to our feet. Sasuke looked far worse than Naruto did, as he was slung over Kakashi's shoulder with multiple wounds that looked to be from small, pinlike projectiles. Sakrua looked at him with a mask of concern and guilt covering her face. I pitied her.

"You might want to get checked out in the infirmary Naruto. I'll go report to the Hokage and take Sasuke by there soon afterwards." And with that, the silver haired copy ninja was out of sight in another puff of smoke.

We came with Naruto to the infirmary, and went out for ramen afterwards. When we figured the knucklehead ninja could only possibly get happier by getting some rest, we left him at his apartment and went back to my house for the night.

"The Chunin exams.. They're just around the corner, you know," Prin said as she layed down on my bed and propped her head up with her hands to look at me. I smiled to myself at the thought of the Chunin exams. I was as excited as ever when it came to competition. I guess it's my overconfidence getting to me from hanging around Naruto too much, but whatever.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her as I stood in front of my vanity mirror and pulled the tie out of my hair, letting it fall down my back. I watched Prin study me from the mirror and saw her shrug.

"Kind of," she replied.

"Well, it's the written part first anyway, so there really isn't much to worry about yet," I assured her. She let out a sigh and rolled onto her back. Noticing the conversation had ended, I decided to bring up something more to Prin's liking. "Have you talked to Kiba-kun yet?"

"No. And I honestly don't plan on it," she stated in a slightly irritated tone. "He's like all the others. He hasn't got the balls to talk to me first." She crossed her arms across her chest as she raised herself into a sitting position. I laughed at the pouting snowflake.

"My goodness, Prin! You expect too much of these Konoha boys!" I told her as I continued to laugh.

"Yeah, well.." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm not sure I like Kiba anymore, anyway."

I stopped laughing and looked at her curiously. "Who do you like then?"

"No one."

I snorted. "Prin I know you too well. It's either one guy or another, but it's never none. Now tell me."

"But you'll laugh!" she whined. I rolled my eyes.

"Will not."

"Will too."

"Say it."

"No."

"_Say it._"

"Fine.." she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "Lee-kun." My eyes grew wide as she said his name in a single breath, her words barely understandable. I tried to choke back a laugh, but I failed miserably as Prin just stared at my howling form. I had to grab my vanity for support.

"You mean to tell me," I said between giggles. "you, Konoha's pretties ninja, have the hots for the 'Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast'?"

"I don't 'have the hots' for anyone, baka!" she hissed as she flashed me an evil, threatening glare. I stopped giggling immediately.

"Well.." I started. "Why exactly do you like _him_?"

"Well, he's strong, smart, shivalrous, and for the most part cute. What's not to like?" I shivered at her words. Was she seriously talking about Rock Lee?

"Uh.."

"Don't you even think about answering that, Mizukara." She thumped me in the forehead. "But he doesn't even notice me. He's too crazy about what's-her-huge-forehead."

"Haruno Sakura. And he's only into her because he's desperate. He doesn't know you like him."

"Oi, you may be right," she sighed. I could tell she was fighting an inner conflict. "So which guy has caught the eye of Konoha's beautiful Sadurobi Mizukara, hm?" I glowered at her.

"Absolutely no one."

"Bull. You made me spill. Now it's your turn."

"I honestly don't have feelings for any of them," I gave her the most serious look I'd ever given her. She arched an eyebrow but soon shrugged away the thought. For the most part, I was telling the truth. I didn't see any of the guys here in Konoha in my future, and I'm sure most of them didn't see me in theirs. Several guys, I will admit, are pretty cute, but I couldn't tell her that. She'd have that over my head the moment I threatened to tell Lee of her feelings, and that isn't something I want to deal with. Though we are friends and I trust her with all my heart and soul, I just can't tell her secrets. The poor girl just can't keep one. I fail to blame her for her loose lips, though.

"Well, I'm tired," Prin yawned as she climbed under the thin sheets on my mattress. I followed her actions and climbed into bed, my thoughts lingering on some of those cute guys Konoha had to offer.

**

* * *

**

No training.

Again.

I swear, I think Juro Sensei is trying to hide something from us. Training alone instead of with your team is a lot less satisfying. I hardly ever progress on my own. Prin had to train, Naruto had to train and I felt completely alone as I walked lazily around the streets of Konoha in no particular direction at all. I had been walking in circles for the past half hour and had memorized almost every crack, rock, building, and person that lingered near my repetitive path. I almost jumped out of my skin when someone jerked my shoulder roughly, forcing me to spin around and face them.

"Hyuuga Neji..?" It wasn't really a question, I just couldn't find the words to say anything else.

"Since it looks like you have nothing better to do than walk around in circles all day, fight me," he barked, a look of anticipation and anger in his big, blank eyes. Before I could react he had a hold on my wrist and was sprinting full speed towards the training grounds. I wrenched my wrist free and stopped where I was to watch him turn around in frustration to face me.

"Do I have a say in this?"

"No."

"What the hell..?"

"Well, would you honestly rather walk in circles or have a little friendly spar..?" he asked as he grabbed my elbow, this time with a stronger grip. "I know you cherish your training as much as I do, right?"

"Well, fine. But I can get there myself. You don't need to drag me there," I snorted. He let his hand fall and I sprinted ahead, hearing him growl just before sprinting to catch up to me. When I felt him getting closer, I jumped into trees and used my chakra to hop from limb to limb. He glanced up at me in irritation, but I only smiled and continued forward.

When we got to the training grounds we ran off some of the academy kids, Neji apparently thinking we would need all the space, and got into stance. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he planned on mowing me down, but I showed no sign of fear.

Then he activated his Byakugan.

_Oh Hell._

I mentally twitched trying to hide the fear that was continually building inside of me by the second. I waited for him to give me the signal.

"Go!"

Close range, obviously, wasn't going to work if he had his Byakugan activated. I leapt back a few extra feet before launching a few kunai towards him, which he expertly blocked before sprinting forward, ready to hit a chakra point. I didn't hesitate as I use a substitution jutsu, leaving only a plank of wood. I was positioned well behind him and made a few hand signs before he sensed my presence and spun around to face me.

"Raikyuu!" I shouted, forming a ball of electricity and hurled it at him.

"Hakkenshou Kaiten!" He started spinning, creating a swirling blue vortex that deflected the attack easily. _Damn.._ I thought. I decided to go old fasion for now, creating several shadow clones and sending them his way.

"What's this? You really think this can beat me?" He laughed at the technique as all the shadow clones came rushing at him only to be eliminated. Only one more lingered, and he turned to face it. "You're finished."

I watched him get into stance from a small perch in a tree, still surprised he hadn't figured it out yet. My eyes grew wide.

"Eight trigrams, sixty-four palms!" I let out a faint gasp as he rushed forward, hitting chakra points in a barrage of hits. I silently thanked God for letting it be the Shadow Clone and not me. Had he really wanted to spar me, planning on using _that?_ I should've just let the big baby beat me. It wasn't worth anything anyway.

I decided to make my move. "Raigeki no Yoroi!" I jumped from the tree at the same time my shadow clone disappeared, making the Hyuuga turn to me in surprise. He let out a yelp when my foot connected with the top of his head, sending an electric wave of chakra all the way down his body. He hit the ground hard head first, but I could tell he wasn't done just yet.

"D-damn.." he mumbled as he wiped a drop of blood from his lip and got to his feet slowly, Byakugan still activated. With my electric armour gone and my lack of chakra, Neji clearly had the upper hand at this point.

Before I could get some distance back between us, he came at me, not at his normally fast speed but still fast, and hit a direct chakra point at my collar bone. I yelped as it threw me to the ground. I was drained now, and there was nothing I could do to stop him from completely steam rolling me like I'd predicted his original plan had been. I closed my eyes as I felt him coming closer and closer, sure that I was going to feel another surge of pain when he made it to my numb form. But that moment never came.

I opened my eyes slowly to see the Hyuuga looming over me, Byakugan deactivated, and his hand outstretched. "Here." I blinked several times in confusion, just staring at the bandaged hand he offered before taking it and letting him pull me to my feet. I brushed myself off and gave him a confused glance.

"Why didn't you finish me..?" The question was serious, but he simply smirked and let an almost inaudible chuckle slip through his lips.

"You weren't worth finishing," he stated bluntly. I snorted at him but didn't feel the need to walk away just yet.

"If it makes you feel better we can tell people you beat me," I told him.

"I _did _beat you."

"You keep telling yourself that, Neji."

"Oh, I will." We started to walk our way out of the training grounds through an awkward silence.

"So, was it everything you expected?" He gave me a blank stare from the corner of his eyes and I pretended not to notice, watching only the street in front of me.

"I.. suppose."

"You're good. But I'm going to be honest," I looked at him before continuing, his expression curious and slightly irritated as he turned his head to look at me for the first time since leaving the training grounds. "I thought you would most certainly flatten me." He had nothing to say to this; instead he looked straight ahead with a small smile on his face. We shared another long silence, but it wasn't awkward. We parted ways at the Hyuuga compound, not exchanging a word, only I glanced over my shoulder to see him glance back and we shared a slight smile.

Maybe Neji Hyuuga wasn't as bad as I thought.

**

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**

"Mizu-chan!" I heard Tanoshii's voice, but saw him nowhere in the market area. I was picking up a few things at the marketplace for my mother because she hadn't been feeling well enough to go herself. My shoulder was so sore from the spar with Neji, that it hurt to move it at all. I searched the crowd untill I saw the familiar spikey brown hair.

"Is it true?" He asked me as he came running up to me, his eyes wide and his whole body shaking from the his own hyperactivness.

"Is what true..?"

He groaned impatiently. "Is it true you fought Neji?"

"He beat me."

"YOU DID! I knew it!" he hollered, making several people turn their heads. "How bad did he beat you?"

"Not terribly. But it hurt.. Why is it such a big deal..?" I asked as I picked up one of the many fruits that were on the small tables and stuffed it into my basket.

"Sources said that you two were walking from the training grounds yesterday and Neji had a few nasty bruises.."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well I was just wondering how they got there, is all.."

I looked away from the annoying ninja. "Get lost Tanoshii." I could tell from the corner of my eye that he was hurt by my words, but I didn't care. Why was it such a big deal and why did people only talk when _I _had something to do with it? If Neji was mad before, he's probably going to be really mad now if he finds out people have been talking about how beat up he was.

Was that why he was mad before, because his teammates and sensei saw him lose? Was he worried about what others thought of him? It was a possibility, but I didn't even know that he was angry just yet. He seemed fine yesterday. As a matter of fact, he seemed better than fine when we walked home. I hoped I didn't do anything to upset him. He won fair and square after all. People just didn't understand.

"Wait, why was I so worried about him being upset with me?

I know for a fact I'm not affraid of the Hyuuga. In a way, actually, I kind of _admire _him. His chakra control is perfect and his technique is never anything short of flawless as apposed to my sloppy Taijutsu. Why can't I just stop worrying about him? He hardly knows I exsist, after all, so there's nothing to worry about. Yet he's always in my head anymore; those milky eyes, that annoying yet cute smirk, the silky brown hair that I always want to run my fingers through.

Oh shit. This is not happening, no it's not.

I know what this is leading to, but that is incredibly unlogical. I've only just started talking to the guy, and yet I'm thinking about how _cute _I think he is. I'm going to hang myself if this keeps going through my damn head, I swear. I don't like him, I hate him! Well, maybe not _hate _but I don't like him a lot.. Damn it!

I tried to focus on checking the fruit for any bruises as I placed them in my basket and layed down my payment before making my way back home. I pinched the bridge of my nose as my head started to pound. I felt helpless.

When I came within a few hundred yards of my compound I found Juro Sensei walking in my direction. He put a hand up at the sight of me, and I rushed towards him.

"Hey Juro Sensei. There something you need?" I asked him as I carefully pushed the handle of the basket up my forearm because my palms had been sweating.

"I've came to tell you that you have a mission."

I felt myself start to get excited. "Finally! When, where, and what..?"

He chuckled before answering, "I'll need you at the gate tomorrow. You as well as Neji and Lee will be escorting a highly skilled medical ninja back to Wave Country."

I felt my breath catch in my throat. I tried several times to swallow the glob of air and when I finally got it down, I rasped, "What about Tenten?"

"Tenten is recovering from a minor ankle injury. Guy insisted that she stay back from this mission." Juro shifted his weight to his other foot. "He also insisted that you take her spot."

"Oh.. Okay. I guess I'll be there then." And with that I parted ways with Juro and made my way back to the compound in a rush, hoping to get that clever ninja out of my head for more than a few moments. Something told me this mission was really going to mess with my mental health.

* * *

**Neji: When is something interesting going to happen?**

**Hana-chan: Oh it gets interesting soon enough. C: Have patients.**

**Neji: Ugh, whatever.. Review.**

**Hana-chan: :D**


	5. Maybe

**This chapter was annoying to write.. Just thought I'd let you know.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE OCS. IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THAN LEARN ENGLISH.**

* * *

"Food?"

"Check."

"Water?"

"Check."

"A change of clothes?"

"Check."

Prin had gotten up exta early to help me get ready for my mission. She had even taken it upon herself to make a list, which had several useful things I hadn't really thought to bring with me.

"A hug from your bestest friend..?" She held her arms open and I slid my bag over my shoulder before hugging the white headed ninja. We walked outside of the compound and stopped, as it was where we went our seperate directions.

"Good luck Mizu-chan. Be safe," Prin waved as she began to walk right and I went left.

"I will Prin! I'll give Lee a big smooch for you!" I cooed and before she could turn around to hunt me down, I had already left at a dead sprint to the Konoha I got there, I wasn't the least bit surprised to see Lee and his sensei already waiting.

"Oi! Lee-kun! Catch me!" I shouted as I pushed myself to run faster before launching myself into the air. To my surprise, Lee didn't even flinch as he stuck his arms out and caught me with ease. I blinked repeatedly in surprise.

"Ah, Mizukara.." Guy started. "Always so youthful! I admire you for it!"

"Uh, okay." I jumped out of Lee's arms and brushed some of the dust and dirt off of my clothes that had collected while I was running. I glanced up at Lee and offered him a smile that he cheerfully returned without hesitation. He always seemed to be in a happy, cheerful mood. He is too kind and warm-hearted for his own good, I'm affraid. I guess it wasn't that weird that Prin had her sights set on him. I smiled. I'd have to tell him about her.

Several minutes later Neji appeared, the same careless, arrogant mask over his flawless features. God I'm _so _hopeless.

Before we could say a word to the Hyuuga, a small, young, blonde-headed woman approached us nervously, her hands foldeded in front of her.

"Um, are you the ones escorting me back to Wave Country?" she asked in a tone that was barely audible.

"That is correct," Guy sensei said a little too loudly, making her flinch. "I am Might Guy. These will be the ones escorting you." He motioned toward us.

"My name is Rock Lee. I am proud to be serving as your protection." It sounded so stupid coming from his mouth, but I held in a laugh.

"I am Sadurobi Mizukara," I offered her a friendly smile that she returned shyly.

"I'm Hyuuga Neji," Neji said not even looking her directly in the eyes.

"My name is Odai Miharu. I appreciate what you are doing for me."

We agreed to have Neji lead since I had no desire to and Lee was overruled. I had to vote for Neji mainly because I knew if Lee lead then Neji would be in a pissy mood the whole time and, knowing the bushy-browed ninja, he'd probably keep on going forever without stopping for a break. And I _need _my breaks.

It wouldn't take forever to get to Wave Country if we kept going at a moderate pace; maybe a day and a half, or maybe two. We would be getting Miharu back to Wave Country probably that night if we didn't slack off. I had to admit; it's pretty fun to be on a mission again. Juro hasn't had us on a mission mainly because of poor Tanoshii. He always ends up blowing our cover, or making a bad move, leaving me and Togaru to clean up his mess. I couldn't see him being a Chunin. He just doesn't have the skills.

When you think about it though, that's how a lot of people used too, and still do, see Naruto. But unlike Tanoshii, Naruto has the tailed beast and, if it takes control, he turns hostile and deadly. Tano is just a softie.

After several hours of traveling through the trees, Miharu spoke to me. "So do you do these kind of things often..?"

"If you're doubting our skills then you're mistaken," I said simply, and she blinked a few times in confusion. "But yes. We have done these kinds of missions before. This isn't really my team, but I had to step up because their teammate has a messed up ankle."

She nodded in understanding. "But you seem to work well together. You're all in complete synchronization mentally and phisically, it seems."

"It's just sort of instinct I guess.." I shrugged my shoulders. "What was your business in Konoha anyway?"

"I had to help with several patients as well as teach a few of my basic techniques to the newer medical nins," she replied. "No offense, but your hospital is nothing like ours back home.."

"Yeah, I agree with you there. We haven't got many medical ninja that really stick out or show great skill, but we manage," I replied. We came to a halt and I guessed we were stopping for a break, though I imagined Neji would be more reluctant on the idea. I jumped down from the trees with Miharu and we slumped against the trunk of one of the trees.

"How much longer, Neji?" I asked as I pulled out one of the pastries Prin had packed me from the bakery.

"About five or six more hours," he replied as he jumped down from the trees adjecent to me. I didn't understand why we were stopping now when we could get there within five or six hours, but I guessed Neji was thinking more about Miharu's wellbeing. I shoved the pastry in my mouth. I offered Lee and Miharu one, which they hastily took due to how incredibly delicious they looked combined with their growing hunger.

"How about you Neji?" I held up the tiny pasty and he only glanced at it for a second, before shaking his head no. Not really caring about his answer, I chucked the tiny treat in his direction and watched him catch it easily before examining it and reluctantly taking a bite. I smiled in delight and Lee chuckled.

"I haven't been on a mission in so long because of Tanoshii," I sighed after we silently began eating. Neji grunted.

"I pity you and Togaru, Mizu-chan," Lee replied. Miharu had a confused look in her eye when she glanced at me.

"Tanoshii is a very unskillfull ninja, and just happens to be on my team. Togaru is pretty good though," I informed her, watching her nod in understanding. We finished our lunch in silence and quietly gathered our things before jumping back into the canopy and continuing the journey where we left off. I fell in step with Neji in front, followed by Miharu and then Lee as we took off towards Wave Country.

**

* * *

**

"Well, it looks like we should let you go here." I gave the small woman a friendly smile as we neared the end of the bridge into Wave Country. Neji's timing had been slightly off; we got to wave country only four hours after our lunch. I always liked it when missions went well, even if there wasn't much action. We didn't see a single ninja trying to get to Miharu the whole way.

"Thank you all for your help and kindness towards me. I appreciate it." She smiled and looked towards the end of the bridge. "I will be going. Farewell!"

"Bye Miharu-chan!" Me and Lee waved at her untill we saw she had made it safely across the bridge. We turned to Neji to see what are next move would be.

"Since the sun still has an hour or so, I guess we could go ahead and start our trip back, though we won't get very war before it's dark," he shrugged his shoulders and looked towards the direction we had came from. We all agreed we should try to gain as much ground as possible before the sun went down to ensure an easier, quicker trip back home. We should be able to go faster now that we don't have Miharu with us. Hopping through the trees was growing old fast, but there was no faster way to travel.

I fell into step with Lee and he flashed me a mischevious grin which, when coming from him, is exceptionally funny. I laughed out loud and Neji looked over his shoulder and flashed us an irritated glance. I bit my lip and looked back to Lee.

"I wasn't suppose to tell you this, Mizu-chan," he leaned in close and whispered. "but Neji is the one who recommended you for this mission. You must have done something to impress him.. He's never really gone out of his way to compliment another ninja like that." I felt my face getting warm as Lee leaned away from me and focused his attention on my reaction. I let out a sigh of relief when he didn't notice my rosey cheeks.

My stomach began to knot up and that feeling came back as I turned my attention to the Hyuuga in front of me. I didn't even try to shake the thought because I knew it would do no use. His milky coloured eyes flashed through my mind, his flawless technique and facial features that seemed to be sculpted from marble. I smiled weakly to myself. I might as well just admit it because it's so obvious and I've avoided it long enough.

I think I might actually have a _crush _on the Hyuuga.

I shouldn't look at him this way or think of him this way, but I do. Even though we compete with eachother and treat eachother as rivals, I only see him as someone I could very well be falling in love with. As odd as it seemed, we've hardly ever talked. It's like I'm just naturally attracted to the arrogant bastard. Damn him and everything that makes him perfect!

I remember back when we had first started the academy..

_***Flashback***_

_It was warm outside and our sensei had decided to take all the girls out to run around in the flowery meadow behind the academy. I had picked several flowers, all a different color, and decided I would sit down with my new friend Prin and watch the other girls play._

_"Those are so pretty, Mizukara! Where'd you find that one? I didn't see that one anywhere!" Prin pointed to a big purple iris that I had in my hand among the other flowers, also my favorite of them all._

_"They were over there somewhere," I pointed towards the end of the meadow near the trees where few girls dared go without sensei. Prin jumped to her feet and ran as fast as her short legs could take her, short, snow white hair blowing behind her. I giggled._

_I watched several of the boys our age suddenly burst through the front doors of the academy, eager to get outside and run off some of the jitteryness that had been developing in their system from sitting in a desk all day. One of them, to my surprise, walked out slowly behind the group of boys, and sat down on one of the benches near the door, his white eyes showing something I could only guess was pain or sorrow as he stared down at his lap. _

_I stood up and looked at my sensei to see if she was near. She was at the very end of the meadow watching over some of the other girls, so I walked cautiously towards the brown-haired boy. He didn't become aware of my presence untill I was standing directly in front of him. He raised his head and looked at me curiously. I then noticed the weird mark on his forehead, a mark I had never seen before. Remembering what my mother had taught me about being polite, I didn't stare at it._

_I picked the pretty purple iris from my bouquet of flowers and held it out to him. "You look like you need it."_

_He blinked several times before taking the purple iris from my hand and studying it thuroughly, brushing his fingertips over the soft purple petals. I smiled as I ran back to my classmates and watched him stare at the flower untill we had to go back to class._

_***End Flashback***_

I never would have thought that little boy would turn out to be the Neji Hyuuga I knew today. That boy was shy and showed emotion. This Neji Hyuuga was as hard as stone and never showed anything but pure concentration and occasional irritation. It was hard to believe they were the same person.

We stopped an hour or so later and decided to set up camp. Lee went to get wood for a fire, leaving me and Neji by ourselves.

"It's been great to finally be on a mission again," I told him as I stretched out my tired limbs and slumped down against a tree.

"You've done exceptionally well even though there wasn't any real threat or problem.." he complimented, much to my surprise. I recovered and let out a sigh as I watched him dig through his pack, his back facing me.

"Thanks." I closed my eyes and yawned. "I'm just glad I got to go on a mission with you." I heard him stiffen and I opened one eye to look at him. He went back to rummaging through his pack.

"Wood!" Lee gleefully shouted as he threw the mountain of sticks to the ground in front of me. Neji lit it up easily and we gathered near it's warm glow. "Another mission well done! And with the beautiful and skillful Sadurobi Mizukara by our side, it's not much of a surprise." I blushed.

"Shut up, Lee.." I heard him and Neji both chuckle.

"Oh, don't you agree Neji?" Lee asked in a cooing voice that made me want to punch him. I resisted the urge.

Neji arched an eyebrow and glanced at me across the fire, a small smile on his lips. "I suppose." I blushed profusely but the orange glow of the fire acted as a blanket over my features. I smiled over at Lee when I regained my composure.

"Since you shared a secret with me, Lee-kun, I suppose I should tell you one too," I told him, and we shared a smile as Neji arched his eyebrow in confusion. "but you didn't hear it from me, because if anyone is not suppose to know, it's you." He was almost jumping up and down.

"I won't breath a word, just tell me," he replied. Neji just stared blankly into the fire, hardly paying attention to our conversation anymore.

"Well, Prin-chan has her sights set on a certain taijutsu specialist in our very village," Lee leaned forward in curiosity. "but as far as she can tell, he is after another girl who has no intrest in him whatsoever, though she's incredibly unskilled and has a huge forehead and stupid pink-" Neji chuckled lightly and I realized my almost-mistake.

"Well?" Lee asked. "Who is it?" I slapped my palm to my face and Neji simply sighed.

"He wears a.." I struggled for the right words. "a _cool _green jumpsuit, and he has black hair and a nice smile." I counted off the features on my fingers. Lee blinked.

"Guy Sensei?"

Neji groaned. "It's _you _Lee." I watched his face change from realization, to shock, and then to happiness.

"Wow! I had no idea."

"_Sure _you didn't Lee.."

"I didn't!"

I laughed before gettin to my feet and stretching my arms above my head. "I'm going to get some rest." I pulled a ribbon from my pouch and tied my hair up into a ponytail. "Whoever's up first wakes everyone up. Doubt it'll be me." With that, I jumped up into the trees and onto a high, sturdy branch that I then sat down on, leaning my back against the trunk. I closed my eyes and let myself drift to sleep, an odd feeing numbing my core that I decided I would worry about in the morning.

**

* * *

**

**NEJI'S POV**

I woke up on the hard limb high in the trees just as the sun was coming up. I glanced to my left and saw Lee beginning to wake. I looked to my right to see Mizukara sleeping silently with her back against the trunk of the tree, her head tilted down towards her lap. I stood up and stretched my legs out and popped all of my joints before jumping to where she lay.

The limb she was on was annoyingly thin, I noticed, and she was spread out over most of it. I took a step forward, putting a foot just next to her thigh, then I made to take another step only to slip and barely catch myself on the trunk. I took in a deep breath at the closeness; my hands were on either side of her head gripping the trunk for support, my left foot was next to her thigh and, to my complete discomfort, my knee was between her legs. I swallowed hard when she lifted her head up, just barely awake, and let out a hot breath right in my face. I could feel my face getting hot, and I prayed that Lee wouldn't see this or I'd have to kill him.I feared that if I attempted to try to stand, I'd either fall over the branch or on top of her, so that was out of the question. Maybe if I focused my chakra..

Just then she let out a tired groan and her eyes began to flutter open. She gasped and leaned forward only to bash her forehead to my hitai-ate, forcing my hands to slide down the base of the trunk and lose my balance. My head somehow ended up in her lap, much to mine and her own surprise. She pushed me off the side of the limb and I barely landed on my feet.

She jumped from the tree and landed in front of me. "What were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to wake you, I slipped, you woke up, and you threw me out of the trees." I said it as calmly as I could. She had the same red tint to her cheeks as I did.

"Well, uh.. Sorry I guess," she replied after an awkward silence. I was surprised. I figured she would be a little more irritated and irrational, but she was apparently not in the mood to argue. Lee jumped down from the trees, his eyes still slightly sagging from sleep.

"Are we ready to go?"

"Pretty much. Just get your stuff. I don't plan on stopping this time." I walked over to my bag and slung it over my back. "Let's go." We jumped through the trees and started off yet again, me in front, Mizukara to my left and Lee to my right.

Several times I glanced over at Mizukara from the corner of my eye. She was one of the few girls in Konoha that might have a chance if she fought me. She did do a number on me that day, I had to give her that, but if it weren't for the fact that all of those hits were inforced by not only chakra, but natural energy, it wouldn't have been as painful. But for some reason, I'm glad I didn't hurt her. I scanned her up and down from the corner of my eye. The way she moved was unnaturally graceful, and with every step her brown hair bounced at her shoulder blades. It baffled me how truely beautiful she was, and how I hadn't really noticed untill recently.

Though after the way I treated her and rudely challenged her, I don't see how she could put up with me. Yet here she is, smiling at me and being nice to me. It was really odd, almost like all of that never happened.

"I don't know about you guys," Mizukara looked at me and Lee. " but I have this weird.. _feeling _that something bad is going to happen.." I could tell by the look on her face she was serious. Something about the way she looked so concerned and even kind of _scared_ made me a little unsure myself.

"I had a similar feeling before we turned in last night," Lee replied, his usual gleeful tone replaced with a more serious and cautious one. This only worried me more.

The next several hours flew by, much to my pleasure, and we were within sight of the Konoha walls as everyone let out a relieved sigh, one I'm sure had been held in most of the misson. Mizukara and Lee began cooing about how great it was to be back home when we saw what was at the gates.

ANBU were everywhere, running from the hokage tower to somewhere farther down from the gate. I noticed Mizukara shift uneasily onto her other foot as two ANBU members approached us.

"What's your business? State your names."

"Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Sadurobi Mizukara arriving back from our escort mission," I told the Anbu, glancing behind him at the other ANBU frantically running around. The ANBU stiffened, his masked gaze on Mizukara.

"Sadurobi?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Come with me. The hokage wishes to see you." He motioned her to follow him as he turned his back on us and allowed us entrance to Konoha. Mizukara gave us an unsure glance before following the masked ANBU member to the hokage's tower.

**

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**

**MIZUKARA'S POV**

The ANBU member opened the door to the Hokage's office and watched as I hesitantly walked in, Sandaime Hokage sitting behind his desk watching my every move. He closed his eyes and a sorrowful expression washed over his face, much to my confusion.

"You wished to see me?" I asked just after bowing to the kage, his attention now fully on me and his expression serious.

"Yes, there is something you must know.." He stood up from his chair and walked slowly to the window that overlooked Konoha and the past hokage faces that were sculpted into the nearby cliff. I took a few steps toward him, his back still turned to me.

"While you were gone, there was a great tradgedy." He let out a sigh. "Your clan, the Sadurobi clan, over half of it was.. _slaughtered_ last night." My blood ran cold. "Your parents included.." He turned to me, waiting for me to say something, but I couldn't. "It's been almost completely destroyed. We aren't exactly sure who did this, but we believe it's a warning or some sort of sign, the killing of an innocent clan.."

I blinked several times as I digested the information. I looked up at the Sandaime's wrinkled face. "You're lying." I choked back the tears.

He shook his head. "I'm terribly sorry." I let the tears fall freely as I turned on my heel and ran for the door, slamming it behind me, ending up in the same hallway I had been in moments ago. I rushed down the stairs, out the front door, and down the streets, sobbing to myself as I ran as hard as my legs could run. I passed Prin's bakery, passed the Hyuuga compound, passed Naruto's apartment, and straight to my compound, only to find it swarmed with Anbu and the stench of dried blood and smoke. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't hardly stand, I was hyperventilating it felt like, but the pain in my chest I knew wasn't from lack of air.

My heart was pounding and I knew I couldn't be here; I couldn't be anywhere _near_ here. I had to get as far away as possible even if it killed me trying. I set off to a dead sprint yet again, regaining some of my composure after the smoke and dried blood smell was well out of range. The setting sun became submerged under thick, grey clouds and it made a depressing, eerie setting to the secluded clearing I found myself in after running through the forest area. I walked a few feet and collapsed to my knees sobbing, not caring about the now pouring rain that was beginning to soak my hair and clothes.

I felt the familiar chakra enter the clearing, though all that I could really hear was the sound of the falling rain on the leaves. It was getting closer, I could tell, and I muffled my sobbing slightly.

"Is this what it really feels like.." I whiped my eyes. "to be alone..?" I sniffed as I ran a hand through my soaked brown locks and pulled my knees to my chest.

He kneeled just behind me and whispered in my ear, "You're _not _alone." I didn't say anything. I just turned to him and cried into his shirt as he wrapped his arms around my pitiful form.

It was bound to get harder, that much I knew. But maybe things would be okay in the end.

* * *

**Ok so, EMO. Sorry for my crappy lack of being in touch with emotions. That really screwed the end of this chap, even though I rewrote it seventy times. :(**

**REVIEW PLZ. :U**

**Neji: -_-**

**Hana-chan: STOP RUBBING IT IN.**

**Neji: ... -.-**


	6. Cheering Up

**Wow, I haven't updated in a while.. I guess it's because my bestie has had me writing this story about her and Randy Orton. . I can't say no to her. She might hurt me or something... I might post it, I don't know. Probably not, but we'll see.**

**This chapter took a long time to write.. I remember writing a little bit of it and not picking it back up for, like, two weeks. It was unusually difficult to write. So I really wish somebody would review. Bastards.**

**Kidding. ^^**

**ANYWAY, sorry for the ramblings. It's pretty irrelevant. On with the disclaimer!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything other than those made-up people. All the characters, main plot, and other crap belongs to Kishimoto-sama. ^^ (AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD A TWIN?)**

**Enjoy!**

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There wasn't a funeral.

There wasn't a memorial.

There just simply wasn't anything. And to be honest, I kind of liked it better that way. If there had been a memorial service of some kind, it would have only increased the pitiful looks I got on the streets. I hate when people pity me, and I don't need anyone's pity, no matter how bad the situation may seem.

Since my compound was nothing more than a pile of ash, I was forced to move into an apartment. Living all alone in an empty, dull, boring apartment wasn't all that bad considering I was only two doors down from my favorite knucklehead ninja. When he saw me for the first time since the incident, the first thing he did was give me a huge hug then, instead of saying he felt really bad or he hoped everything was okay or something, he smiled and said, "Hey, lets go get some Ramen!". He didn't even offer to pay, which, oddly enough, only made me feel better. Prin hugged me and even invited me to stay with her and her family for a while, but I didn't accept. Even for a single night; I didn't want her to think I was completely helpless though it would have been quite nice. She hasn't breathed a word of it since. Lee expressed his "greatest condolences" and gave me a warm hug, which I greatly appreciated though it wasn't much to appreciate. You can't hate a guy in spandex, I've learned.

Neji, however, hasn't even spoken to me since that rainy day in the clearing. I don't know if it makes him uncomfortable, or if he just thinks I need space. He did offer me a reasurring smile when I saw him at the market the other day, but he didn't approach. I liked the space to a certain extent, but it would be pretty nice to have friends around a little of the time.

I walked to our training grounds only four days after arriving back from my mission only to get awkward glanced from Juro Sensei and my teammates.

"Mizukara," Juro breathed. I closed the gap between me and my team as I trotted deeper into the clearing.

"Yeah..?"

"We weren't expecting you back so soon.." Togaru and Tanoshii locked eyes for a second before looking back at me.

"Well I am," I said sternly, "and I plan on training harder now than before." _I'm all I have left._ I almost added but stopped myself knowing I would only get more pity that way. Juro looked at me for a second before smiling lightly.

"Then let's get to work. This is our last practice untill the written exams, so I want to go over the basics that're likely to be on the test first.." I joined my team as Juro Sensei started lecturing about the basic ninja technique and everything else. I listened with all my sences, eager to get to the exams and let everyone know that the death of my clan hadn't effected me as greatly as I'm sure they all think.

After the lecture, Juro Sensei went over some chakra control and a little taijutsu. It wasn't our most productive day, though we have had a lot of unproductive days lately. What happened to the serious, up-tight, run-till-you-puke Juro Sensei we all know and love? His training was getting softer and softer, and I'm not sure how much improvement I'll get with this current training slump he's gotten us all into.

I walked out of the training grounds with Tanoshii and Togaru who had remained solemnly silent the whole day.

"Will someone please spare me the damn sympathy and talk?" I asked as they stared off into space, their attention quickly flickering to me after my sudden outburst.

"Well we didn't think you'd want us to apologize and hug you and stuff," Togaru said blandly. "I figured you'd had enough of that already."

"I don't want you to apologize, you're right. They're isn't anything for anyone to apologize for. But not talking at all makes me feel almost as bad." Togaru looked away from my gaze as we continued forward. Tanoshii opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Alright, I can't take this." I broke away from the group and I could feel their gaze following me. "See ya." I took several long strides to the other side of the street and into a back alley where I would hopefully be able to get to my apartment without being gagged with sympathy as a tear glided down my cheek.

**

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I sighed as I layed down on my back and stared at the cealing of my empty apartment. I had been in here pretty much all day; minus the pointless training with Juro and the team. I had slowly started to feel stupider and stupider for running off while I was walking with Togaru and Tanoshii. I was just tired of all the pity and "I'm so sorry"s and "it's going to be okay"s and I guess I took my anger out on them. How _stupid_.

I jumped when I heard a knock at the door.

"Coming!" I yelled as I jumped up from my bed and went straight for the door. When I opened it, I was greeted by a white head of hair and my favorite knucklehead ninja.

"We're goin' out!" Naruto pushed himself into the apartment. "So get ready!"

"Um, where are we going?" I asked.

Prin looked at me with unsure eyes. "The plan is out for ramen, go figure, then to the kage heads to watch the sun go down." She looked at Naruto. "It's our last chance to hang out before the exams next week." Naruto smiled and held up a single thumb in approval. I bit my bottom lip.

"I... I just don't know if I feel like going out tonight," I said, turning my gaze to the small square window in the corner. I didn't want to look at Naruto because I knew it would only make me feel worse.

"But _Mizukara_..!" Naruto whined. "You _have _to come! It'll make you feel better, I know it will." I looked at him for a split second, his big, blue eyes pleading me to join him. I sighed as my brows knit together in an unsure fashion, but I relaxed.

"Yeah.. Okay.." Naruto shouted happily at his victory and Prin wrapped an arm around me in a sort of half-hug and giggled lightly as we abandoned my apartment arm in arm. For the first time in a couple hours, I decided to ignore my tangled, depressing thoughts and enjoy myself with my friends.

When we took our seats at the Ichiraku's, Naruto ordered our usuals, not that the old man didn't already know what to get us as soon as we had taken our seats at the counter. Naruto took it upon himself to be the first to strike up a conversation.

"The written exams are soon." He paused momentarily to glance at Prin and I. "Any chance I can sit next to one of you guys and get some answers?" I snorted a laugh.

"You can sit next to me, but the only way you could cheat off of me is if you have a third eye." Naruto let out an irritated groan that was then followed by a loud stomach growl as our ramen was placed in front of us. He practically shoved his face into his bowl while me and Prin watched in half digust and half awe. It was oddly fascinating, to tell you the truth.

Prin ate her ramen with the utmost etiquette that her mother had began teaching her from birth. I greatly envied her grace and beauty when it came to being a ninja, but when she was outside of battle she could be the most clumsy person I knew, therefore it kind of annoyed me that she was so graceful when she was out with her clumsy friends. "I'm sitting with you so I can cheat off of you. As a last resort, of course." I rolled my eyes as the clumsy, witty, white-haired kunoichi came back to mind.

"You really shouldn't depend on me so much."

"I shouldn't, but I do."

"What would you do without me?"

"Hell if I know. Die, probably."

"Or be drastically overworked by your parents." We laughed.

"Speaking of work, are you coming in tomorrow? I'm gonna need some extra hands since Mother and Father are going to be away for a couple days." Prin pushed her unfinished bowl of ramen towards Naruto who again shoved his head in the bowl and began eating like a malnurished coyote. Once I tore my eyes away from the grossness that was Naruto's meal, I replied.

"Sure. We can party and burn the place to the ground."

"I don't think we should burn it.."

"Why?"

"It's all I have to do when you can't hang out and I have a train-free day. It'd just be more boring without it."

"True.."

After exchanging a few more words, we heaved a greatly bloated Naruto out of Ichiraku's and made our way to the hokage heads. We'd been here countless times together whether it be to relax after a hard day of training, to talk about something thats been on our minds, or maybe to simply relax and stare up at the stars. Not many people in the village dared try to hike their way to the kage heads; even some of the ninja stayed away. The trail was rugged and steep and when you got to the top you could rest before you had to worry about getting down. However, since Prin, Naruto and I came here on a regular basis, it seemed easier for us to climb the pathway. Sometimes we even raced to the top.

When we got to the top, we all collapsed onto our backs next to one another and stared at the stars.

Naruto let out a miserable groan. "My stomach hurts so bad! I think I ate too much!" Prin snorted.

"You're so dramatic Naruto. And it's your own fault. You need to have more variety in your diet. Not just pasta." She let out a yawn. "Maybe that's why your taijutsu is shit." A growl rippled through Naruto's throat but before he could counter her immature insult I cut in.

"Prin you have no room to talk. Your taijutsu is shit too."

"So is yours," she defended.

"Yeah, but it's still better than yours!"

"Shut up. I hate you." We all shared a nice laugh before we grew quiet. The silence wasn't awkward this time; it was actually quite soothing. We layed under the stars for several hours, only speaking up when we saw a shape in the stars like the big dipper or the little dipper. It reminded me of all the times Hasegawa would let me come out to the training grounds with her at night and watch her train. Sometimes she needed me to throw kunai or shuriken at her to test her reflexes, though every time I did this she dodged each weapon clean. If she didn't need me for anything, I'd lay back in the cool grass and stare up at the stars all night just like right now. Sometimes she'd join me and we'd talk about random things like the most annoying ninja in Konoha or the cutest boys our age.

I giggled when I heard Prin snoring soundly at my left. When I glanced to my right, I came nose-to-nose with Naruto who laughed at the awkwardness. It's weird, but it's one of the things I'm jealous of about Naruto. He can laugh at some of the hardest things to laugh at, he doesn't much care for another ninja's opinion about him because it's most often false in his eyes. When someone thinks of Naruto, they think of how he failed all those years at the academy and automatically make the assumption that he's a terribly unskilled ninja. When another person mocks him, he always counters with his own snide remark and then has a decent technique to back it up. He was able to make more than a single shadow clone far before me or Prin.

Before I even thought about what I was saying, I blurted, "How do you do it..?"

He blinked and stared blankly at me in confusion. "Do what?"

_Well, I already started it. Might as well pry deeper. _"How do you walk around knowing that everyone has this godaweful opinion about you and still keep going with these big dreams and goals with a big smile on your face..?" His eyes that were wide with confusion and slight curiosity suddenly shrunk down to a more serious and saddening stare. He closed his blue eyes and turned back to the sky. For a while I wasn't sure if he'd reply and I felt like I had hurt him by bringing it up. Did he not know people had such an aweful way of seeing him?

"I just.. do." His words were soft and barely audible, which was pretty shocking coming from Naruto. "I did enough crying about it when I was younger and there isn't much of a point in it now; there really wasn't then either."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did." He shifted to his side so he could face me.

"That would only make me seem weak and with all these people watching me everywhere I go and everything I do.. You can't let people bring you down. It's not something a ninja should do. I'm too strong to do that." He smirked after he said the last part and I rolled my eyes with a laugh. We glanced in Prin's direction as she started to shift. Naruto let out a yawn and got to his feet, stretching his arms up in the air before folding them arrogantly behind his head.

"I'm headin' out Mizu-chan. Exams are in two days ya know," he stated as I got to my feet. "I need some sleep." I smiled happily and wrapped my arms around the blonde ninja who stumbled back slightly in surprise before returning the gesture.

"You're too good of a friend Naruto-kun," I chirped as I pulled away and looked at him as he smiled goofily. I turned to Prin and nudged her a little too hard with my foot, making her squeal and jump defensively to her feet in a fighting stance. When she realized there wasn't a threat she dropped her arms to her sides.

"Sure am glad we weren't rogue ninjas, ey' Naruto?" I elbowed Naruto in the ribs and he laughed in agreement.

"Shut your mouth.." She yawned carelessly. "I'm going home. Nighty night my lovelies." Before I could blink, she made a hand sign and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Naruto turned to me and smiled.

"Since we live in the same building we could walk back together, Mizu-chan," he offered.

I shook my head and plopped back down in my spot. "I think I'd rather stay here a little while longer." I heard thunder in the distance and Naruto looked at me for a second, expecting me to change my mind. When I didn't, he shrugged and and made his way back down the trail to the village.

When the sound of his footsteps grew farther and farther away, eventually out of hearing, I let out a sigh. This incident had made me reflect on the past so frequently that I was beginning to fall deeper and deeper into a lonely darkness; I was digging myself into a hole I might not have the strength to get out of unless I stopped sulking. I'd felt so helpless in the clearing that day, when Neji was there. It was the most terrifying thing I'd ever felt, being so helpless and vulnerable like that, letting people see how easily broken I was. I've never been scared or afraid or broken.. _ever. _Especially not this bad. I faught back the tears that were threatening to fall. If my family ever saw me this way, if _Hasegawa _saw me this way, they would be utterly ashamed. I would be ashamed for making _them_ ashamed.

My head started throbbing and I instantly brought my hands to my temples with a hiss. I guessed the constant crying and thinking and changing of emotion was beginning to traumatize me, or something was really wrong. I brought my knees to my chest and put my head between them taking big, gasping breaths of air. The pain eased away and I let out a groan. The tests coming up were only going to further my insanity, this I knew. If I stayed locked up in my apartment and studied nonstop for the next two or three days with no contact with the outside world, the possibility of me passing would be a lot better than sitting here concentrating on my clan. Well, maybe. I pulled my knees to my chest and closed my eyes.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." I jumped to my feet at the sound of his voice, taking a defensive stance unknowingly. He stepped out of the darkness and the light from the moon casted an eerie shadow off of his beautiful features.

I opened my mouth to say something but when nothing came out he pressed on. "You're only hurting yourself. If you would stop dwelling on it and get yourself back together, you'd be okay. You're pathetic, letting people see you this way. It's sickening." As right as I knew the Hyuuga was, it only made me angry to hear it from him.

"You don't fucking get it," I snarled. "You don't understand at all." He chuckled and I gave him a confused yet annoyed stare.

"You think _I _don't get it?" he asked. I felt incredibly stupid. I wasn't sure why, but I felt almost in the dark, like nothing I knew was right.. Now I'd only brought whatever the thought was back to his mind, and he was angry. "I thought you were smarter than that." He smirked. "I thought you would make a good opponent.. but I could easily out smart you."

Without even thinking about it, I formed a lightning charge from my palm and watched it grow bigger and bigger, the electric charge from the forming storm powering it up considerably itself, before lifting it towards the now defensive Hyuuga. "Take that back." He activated his Byakugan without replying, this basically meaning, "Hell no!".

I threw the ball of lightning that had increased to twice the size of my hand towards him. "Raikyuu!" I yelled. He jumped out of the way and rushed towards me, poised to hit another chakra point, but I ducked and took out a kunai and sliced at his calves. He jumped and ended up behind me. I rolled to my feet and stood defensively watching his every move. I flinched when I felt a cold drop of water fall onto my skin. He took this as an opening and came at me.

I didn't even bother to react; I just closed my eyes. I was expecting to be engulfed by pain when he hit every vulnerable chakra point on my body, which was very much all of them, but he didn't hit my chakra points. He pinned me to the rock wall at the far end of the hokage monument by my wrists. The rain was pouring now, which only added to the how disappointed I must have looked. I _was _disappointed. In myself for letting this get to me so bad it messed with my ability to fight, which Neji had proven far too easily. Neji was right and I should have listened to him, but I was too angry and upset with myself for not being able to get over it that I went at him when he said it straight up. It had to be one of the most immature things I'd ever done.

I finally realized how close our faces were, and I looked down, unable to look into his eyes. " I'm so _stupid,_" I said. "You're right. Completely Right. I'm just.. not thinking straight." I looked up at him and watched his expression soften. My brown hair was drenched and stuck to my face. I know I had to look like hell, but it didn't really matter.

I let out a yelp when he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine softly. I recovered from the shock as my heart started beating quick, but I kissed him back a little less reluctantly than I would have expected myself to, closing my eyes and leaning into it.

When I opened my eyes, he was gone but I could almost feel his lips still on mine. I touched my lips as I slid down the rocky ledge he had me pinned against seconds ago.

_Wow,_ I thought. _That was.. Amazing._

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**I'm thinking I might need another OC for a possible shippuden sequal. Thats pretty far into the future, but if you'd be willing to let me borrow an OC of the Shippuden persuasion, I'd greatly appreciate it. ^^**


	7. Worse than Losing

**NANNERPUSS I love you. ****lol. but seriously, your review made my day. It made me LOL so hard, I had to update. **

**SPANDEX RULES BITCHES!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mizukara, Prin, Tanoshii, Togaru, and some other people I can't remember. :B The other shit is Kishimoto-sama's.**

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**Mizukara's POV**

I stood outside the academy with Prin waiting on Naruto to show up for exams. Prin was a nervous wreck, and I knew the only way to get her mind off of the test was to gossip about mindless unimportant crap. Of course, the only thing I'd been thinking about for the past two days was that stupid kiss. Well, I take that back.. It wasn't _stupid._ A better word would be confusing. And aside from that I kind of liked it.

Ah shit. Here I go again.

I shook the thought away, trying to stop the repetitive cycle that had been going through my mind for the past two days; his eyes, his skin, his hair, his _lips_.

I turned to Prin and blurted, "We kissed." My face was burning as she stared back at me with wide, shocked eyes. I looked at my feet and let my hair fall in my face to cover up my red cheeks.

_"What?" _She shifted her weight to her other foot. "Who?"

I looked up at her, though I'm sure I looked ridiculous with my hair in front of my eyes. At least my plan was working.. for her. "I, um, N-Neji." It was almost inaudible, but I didn't want any of the other students to hear our conversation; several people had glanced at us and whispered to others with looks of shock and confusion.

Prin's eyes shrunk down to teasing slits and she directed her gaze directly at me. "You're kidding. That'd only make the cutest couple in all of Konoha!" She giggled as I gave her an uncomfortable stare that said "I really wish you wouldn't do this here", but she failed to get the message. Thankfully, Naruto came walking over, his team in tow.

"Stupid sand nin," he snarled under his breath. I cocked my head to the side. "Why're they even here?"

"What happened?" I asked him only to recieve a growl.

"Naruto thought it'd be _cute _to confront them. Naturally he made an ass of himself, almost getting his ass kicked," Sasuke said. Prin groaned.

"_Naruto_ you know better than to be that way with people. It's _childish_!" she scolded. Naruto looked at the ground, his hands calmly at his sides. Normally, he would be jumping up and down trying to explain something to his defense, but he seemed content. How odd.

Just then, the students began filing into the building and we gave eachother a final glance, almost as if we were saying "good luck" before going out into a bloody battle of some sort. I was first out of our group to head through the door, only to roughy bump shoulders with a tall, lanky girl who looked like she was ready to bite someones head off. She turned her head at me and barked, "Watch it."

"Stay out of my way baka," I snarled, letting the iritation that I'd been holding in from impatiently standing outside for a half our waiting for them to let us in be known. She turned to fully face me, her blonde, spikey ponytails swooshing with the movement of her head. She did in fact have a Suna hitai ate around her neck and a large fan strapped around her torso; I immediately guessed this girl and her two boy counterparts were the sand nins who had caused Naruto trouble. I didn't hesitate when I met her intimidating stare. I stepped towards her.

"What did you call me?" Her teeth were clenched tight and I felt a thrill at the thought of fighting her. She looked pretty good.

"Did I stutter?" Sakura had shifted uncomfortably behind Sasuke, who had an intense stare directed at one of the boys behind the bitchy blonde. I glanced over at him and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw who it was. I heard another growl ripple through Naruto's throat, but Prin elbowed him shaply in the sides and it came out as an awkward gush of air.

"Temari," the boy with the weird face paint and black suit started. "let it go. We've got more important things to worry about."

She grumbled something under her breath before turning to follow the guys. "Bye Temari." She snarled at my friendly yet unfriendly jesture as she stomped along with the boys, only one of them wavered slightly longer, a hard stare directed at.. _me. _I stared back, slightly frightened by the discovery of what he was. I remembered hearing it around the village; that there was another demon besides Naruto not far from Konoha. It was Garra of Suna, the holder of the one tailed Shukaku.

He didn't smile. He didn't blink. He didn't flinch, even when Temari layed a hand on his shoulder. He simply turned his head slowly toward her, staring up into her blue-green orbs. He glanced back at us before parting with his group, leaving us in a stoney silence.

**

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**

We took our seats in the large academy class room, one I remembered from all my years at the academy. The long desks, the uncomfortable seating; we knew it all too well. I liked where I was seated; between Prin and Tenten, two of my favorite female kunoichi. Before we had started, Tenten offered a warm smile and said, "I hope you guys do well. This is so intimidating, I don't know about you guys.."

Then Lee piped up from next to her. "We'll all do well. The question is, who will do better? Mizu-chan, or Neji-san?" Neji glanced at us from where he was seated, at Lee's left, and offered a confused stare. I put my hands up.

"I'm not playing that game, Lee-kun." They all grew silent at that as the ninja at the front of the room started discussing the rules about cheating, how to answer the questions, yada, yada, yada.

And that brought us to our current state; Prin stumped and confused, staring at her test paper like it had two heads, Tenten mindlessly gnawing at her pencil, and Lee sweating profusely as he wrote down an answer only to erase it soon after. Me and Neji weren't on our usual roll either, but I refused to let him know I had no idea what I was doing. Every question I came to I had no logical answer to and simply tried to answer as best as I possibly could, and at the rate Neji was writing I could only assume he didn't, either. I could see how people would try to cheat; admittedly the questions were as intimidating as hell. The way they were so intellectually written sent many of the Genin's thoughts into a spiral, this being conclusive to the way they had terrified and wide-eyed expressions on their faces. It was a lot of pressure to take the exam seeing as if you were to fail miserably or get caught cheating, your whole team was likely to fail with you. And the fact that the guy watching you, Morino Ibiki, is the leader of the ANBU's torture and interrogation squad didn't help much either.

There was something about the way Ibiki worded the rules and guidelines of the test that made me somewhat skeptical. Nobody in this room knew the answers, clearly. It had to be a mistake, maybe they gave the wrong test? Maybe I'm in the wrong room? Anything? If there was one thing I was almost sure of, it was that this test must be, well, a test. Maybe we weren't _suppose _to pass. Maybe it's not really customary and they're just trying to see what we know or how well we work under pressure.

I gasped when a kunai flew past my head and broke me from my thoughts as it hit the desk behind my head. I looked at the front of the room to see the instructor's eyes somewhat fixed on me. I looked over at Prin who's eyes were wide in shock and surprise, much like Tenten and Lee's as well. When I looked at Neji he flashed me a look of concern and slight pitty. I hadn't cheated! Why was he chuckin' weapons at me if I didn't fucking do anything wrong? Everyone was staring back at me. I've worked so hard to get this far; and now I was being falsely accused of cheating. I didn't know whether to cry or fly off my rocker.

"You, boy." The rough looking man pointed above me. "Failed. Your team fails too." I glanced back at the boy who opened his mouth to protest but only got the snot knocked out of him by his teammates, who had been failed with him. I let out a relaxed sigh. As long as I wasn't in trouble, there was nothing to be upset about.. Yet I still continued to shake uncontrollably. One by one, teams began to exit the room due to cheating, most of them shouting in meaningless protest. I swallowed hard. There couldn't be more than thirty teams left. This was intense.

We all looked up from our mostly blank test papers when Ibiki stood up from his seat at the front of the room. "Now it's time for your last question," he said in a gruff tone of voice. "However, I'd like to give you a choice to answer or leave now."

"What's the catch?" Kiba spoke from the back as Akamaru shifted uncomfortably on top of his head. Ibiki chuckled.

"There's always a catch. To put it as bluntly as I can, if you leave, you fail the test completely. If you stay and answer the question but answer it incorrectly, you fail and never take the exams again."

_"Fuck!" _I sneered under my breath as I cast a glance and Tanoshii with a disappointed expression. I had zero confidence in Tanoshii, and I'm sure Togaru was reciting my same phrase from where he was seated a few seats below me. I put my face in my hands and leaned my elbows on the table in front of me, very much on the verge of tears. There was no way my team would pass with Tanoshii's unrealistic logic, especially with the probability of this last question being a doosy. Tenten put a calm hand on my shoulder.

"So who's quitting?" Ibiki raised an eyebrow.

"I'm out." I looked up, fearing that Tanoshii may have already given up. I let out a gush of air when I saw it was a completely different team. One team turned into three, then five, then so on. When Naruto stood, I felt my whole face go pale.

"I refuse to give up! I'm not afraid of this test! I'm never backing down!" Then he sat. Ibiki looked confused, then annoyed, than satisfied, oddly enough.

After no one else was willing to give up, Ibiki cast a deathly glance on us.

"The rest of you.." He smirked. "..pass." Gasps were heard all over the room.

"WHAT?" Sakura Haruno asked from behind me. Me and Prin groaned. "What about the last question?"

"There isn't one, fool! This test isn't even fit for your level of intelligence. It was simply to see how well you gather information in a tense situation, like your whole team failing due to your own slip up."

"So we were _meant _to cheat?" Naruto asked in an annoying tone of voice. I love him to death but, hell, he can be annoying.

"It would have been smart, yes." Ibiki smirked again.

"Wait, so these last nine questions weren't even important?" Tanoshii asked. "What kind of test is that?"

"They mattered. They were to test your ability to gather information. I don't need to repeat myself." He directed his attention to the window and, almost as if on que, a purple haired woman burst through it, a red banner pinned to the wall by kunai as she did.

"Hello children!" She flashed a giddy smile. "I'll be your next proctor. We'll meet at the Fourty-fourth Battle Training Zone tomorrow afternoon. Dismissed!"

After I regained composure from my confused state, I walked out of the academy with Prin. "That was so messed up," she grumbled. "So are you coming by the bakery?"

"Absolutely," I replied. I glanced over my shoulder as Neji walked by, my curiosity getting the better of me. "but I've got something to do first. I'll see you there." I saw her shrug and walk off before I started after Neji. He had started off away from the academy and I followed unquestioningly. Why was I doing this? I shook it off. I need to stop questioning my actions when he's involved because they never make sense anyway.

"Neji." I jogged to catch up with him. "I.."

"You what?" he asked in an irritated tone that made me flinch. Stupid bastard.

I kept the polite tone in my voice. "I wanted to say thank you for what you said last night. It really opened my eyes." His steps slowed slightly. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. You were trying to help me and I-"

"Don't bother," he said abruptly, causing me to scowl while he wasn't looking. Good thing his Byakugan wasn't activated or he'd be chewing my ass out. _Guess I'll just have to cut to the chase, _I thought. I stepped into his path causing him to stop and give me a cold, hard stare, one that I probably wouldn't have been able to stand getting a few days ago. But I was weaker then.

"Why'd you kiss me?" He wasn't surprised by this question, clearly, but he still looked to the side unable to look directly into my eyes. I smiled inwardly, being able to mess with the Hyuuga's emotions was admittedly delightful. When he didn't answer I took a step closer and repeated, "Why?"

He turned his head to look directly at me, uncomfortable with the fact that it felt as if I were standing over him, though I clearly wasn't with the three or four inches he had over my head. Then he said in a voice as calm as he could muster, "I don't know.."

"What do you mean you 'Don't know'? You could have done anything you wanted to me, but you went easy on me. I just want to know why."

"I didn't want to hurt you." I took a step back and struggled not to gasp from the shock. Since when _didn't _he want to hurt me? I thought we were enemies at one point, but..

"Why not..? I beat you at that stupid chakra control thing." I paused as he scowled at the memory before continuing. "Then everyone made a big deal about it, like I beat your ass or something. I know for a fact you wanted to hurt me. You wanted me _dead._ And all you had to do to make all the stupid talking stop was hurt me and you wouldn't even do that." He blinked calmly.

"I got lucky. That's it. I just got lucky when I fought you _and _when I beat you at that chakra control practice bullshit."

He added, "Your bloodline gives you the ability to perfect chakra control unnaturally easily. That wasn't luck. You were just.." I knew he was going to say_ better _but I didn't bother to finish his sentence for him.

I blinked at the realization as I stared at me feet. My fists were balled at my sides. "Did you.. _pity _me..?" When he didn't reply I looked up at him to find his eyes fixed on me. "Thats the one thing I hate more than losing. I especially don't want any from _you_." I stepped around him and made to go back towards the academy, saying the three words that were going through my mind repetitively. "I hate you."

They were only three words, but I had no idea how deep they cut.

**

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**

"Well.. We passed. Thats pretty good.. Right?" Prin and I stood behind the counter of the Ibaraka Bakery, almost completely silent until her question. I had been deep in thought about Neji and how he only went easy on me because he pitied me. It was one of the worst feelings ever, having someone you never wanted to look down on you, well, look down on you. It really felt like shit.

"Yeah," I replied, suddenly remembering her question. I took a young academy student's order and went back into the kitchen, Prin following sharply on my heels.

"What's bugging you? I thought you felt better after we went out the other night..?" I turned to Prin and saw how concerned she looked. I was so lucky to have a friend like her who always looked out for me and always cared about me. I shouldn't worry her any more than I already do.

"It's not that.." I told her. "Um, do you think your parents will let you stay the night?" She shrugged and nodded. It's not like she had anything better to do but work. Her parents were gone again on a trip to the mist for some unknown reason; they never tell Prin anything other than where they're going and when they should be back. Sometimes she feels they don't care for her when they leave spontaneously for so long. Sometimes it's days, weeks, and even _months _before they get back. She's constantly worrying about them because they usually don't get back until at least three or four days after the day they originally planned to get back. Hell, they probably just told her that so she'd stop asking when they'd get back. Back in our early academy days, she didn't much mind them leaving because they'd bring her back cool shit for her to mess around with until she got bored with it or broke it. Then she'd ask when they were leaving again.

I sometimes felt worse for her than I did for myself. It's situations like these that bring Prin, Naruto and I closer together, when one can relate to the other's problem or feeling of loneliness.

We closed up about two and a half hours early because buisiness was slow and her parents weren't there to tell us otherwise. She wanted to pry at me and ask questions, I could tell, but she just bit her lip and trotted silently beside me all the way to my apartment. When we got there, I shut the door behind me and turned to see her staring at me with curious blue eyes.

"Spill it."

"Okay, I don't really know where to begin.." I sat on the counter in the kitchen and crossed my legs uncomfortably. Prin sat delicately at the small dinner table and put her elbows on it, letting me know she had my complete and undivided attention. "I-"

"Let me in Mizu-chan! Please!" Naruto's unmistakably loud voice yelled from the other side of the door as he beat on it with his fists. I rolled my eyes and slid off the counter to go open the door.

"Naruto, what're you-?" I opened the door only to have him run in and shut the door behind himself so quick I thought I'd blinked and missed it.

"What's the deal Naruto?" Prin sighed from the table where she was picking at her nails. He laughed his cute little Naruto Laugh.

"Nothing's wrong or anything. I just wanted in and I knew you wouldn't let me in if I just came up and knocked on the door." He smiled goofily at his own "plan" as Prin rolled her eyes. "So what're you guys up to?"

"Well Mizukara was about to tell me something important untill you started wailing on the door." Prin gestured towards me. "And I'm spending the night."

"Oi! Me too!" Naruto cheered as he jumped up and down. I sighed.

"Yeah Naruto, sure, whatever, I just need to talk to Prin privately if you don't mind," I said as I gave Naruto my "Pwetty-Pwease-Just-Get-The-Hell-Outta-My-Face" look and he smiled.

"Can't I just listen too? We're best friends too, ya know," he stated as he raised a finger in the air matter-of-factly.

"It's girl stuff Naruto and, besides that, you can't keep a secret!" I told him. "Now just go step out on the patio for, like, five seconds, _please!"_

He groaned and said something unintelligable under his breath as he stepped out on the patio and shut the old, rugged door behind him. I turned back to Prin.

"I talked to Neji after you went to the bakery," I stated simply. "and he was an ass as usual. I played nice all I could, but when he would give me a nice straight answer I just cut to it, asking why he _kissed _me when he could've ran me over, like I was expecting him to." I whispered the word "kiss" out of fear someone would hear. I closed my eyes and knitted my brows together uncertainly.

"..And..?" Prin unpatiently pried.

I gave her a stern look. "Prin.. Do you, or have you ever.. _pitied _me..?" She looked taken back by the sudden question but her look of confusion was soon replaced with one of understanding and equal seriousness as mine.

"I've felt sorry for you, yes, and you've felt sorry for me as well." She leaned back in her chair. "But I've never really, seriously, pitied you, no." I nodded my head, satisfied with her answer. I guess, out of all of us including Naruto, I had it the best until this whole clan conspiracy. I had parents who were good to me, always supportive of my choices, always there. I had a tightly knit family and good friends; still do. When it went bad I sort of pitied myself. I could only assume that if I pitied myself than others must've, too. I looked at Prin.

"He said he didn't want to hurt me." Prin almost cracked a smile and I could feel an "Aww!" coming, but I continued. "I asked him if he pitied me and if thats why he wouldn't hurt me."

Prin blinked and said, "What'd he say?"

"Nothing." I brushed some of my hair out of my face. "That was enough though."

When Prin didn't say anything for a long time and simply hung her head down, I went for the patio door. "Don't tell him." I saw her nod and glance over at me quickly before I swiftly slid the door open, meeting Naruto who had his ear pressed against it. He stumbled almost to the ground but caught himself and stood up straight up, his eyes fixed on me. "Naruto..?"

"Neji, huh?" He almost smiled. "I couldn't see it! He's so.. rude. And he always acts like he has a bad taste in his mouth or something."

"Why did you listen, Naruto-kun?" I asked him in my best fake-hurtful tone as I gave him those sad puppy dog eyes. He simply knit his brows together in deep thought. Then he offered a warm smile.

I laughed. "How about some instant ramen?"

He followed me to the kitchen and said, "Sounds good.. Oh, and Mizu-chan?" I glanced up at and met his warm, cheerful blue eyes. "I've never pitied you. And I never will."

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**DAMN MY CHAPTERS ARE LONG. Sorry..**

**Reviews are love. ~ 33**

**I never realized how cheesey that was until I typed it. o_o Sorry.**

**Review! Favorite! Put on alert! IDK, just do it!**


	8. Over The Deep End

**Anko is scary.. but this chapter was extremely fun to write, but not _the_ funnest. My favorite chapters are the ones that bash Sasuke. :) The Chunin Exams Arc is probably still one of my favorite arcs in the whole series, aside from the Sasuke retrieval arc. I know what you're thinking, "I thought you hated Sasuke? Why do you like that part of the series so much?" and the answer to that, my dead reader, is the fact that there are some SERIOUSLY EPIC BATTLE SCENES. For example, Neji vs Kidomaru. That was probably my favorite fight of the series as well. :)**

**Anyway, enough jibber jabber. TO THE DISCLAIMER.**

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, I don't own anything except the OC's in this storyyyy, blah, blah, blah..**

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"Listen up!" Anko yelled over the crowd of young Genin. "This is what you're going to need to know. I have two different scrolls, this cream colored one is a Heaven Scroll and this blue one is an Earth Scroll. Each team will get one scroll, either being the Earth or the Heaven scroll, but you must have both to pass.

"It is required to steal the opposite scroll from another team in order to pass. Once you have both scrolls, you are to make your way to the tower in the center of the forest. You have five days, so don't worry too much about not making it. I'll give you your scrolls in private so that nobody knows who has which scroll." Tanoshii looked terrified and Togaru looked careless, probably not even listening to what she was saying. They both hold the team down, no matter what one says about the other.

"Okay guys," I said after we got our scroll and I put it in my weapon pack. "You all brought food didn't you?" They nodded. "Great. We don't have to waste any time gathering food or anything, which sets us about a step in front of most of the people here so-" I was cut off by Anko's loud voice.

"And one more thing!" she yelled. "Don't open the scrolls until you get to the tower!"

"Why can't we open them?" One of the lower ninja asked. Anko grinned evilly.

"Oh, you'll know why if you do. You'll know.." Tanoshii's eyes grew the size of dinner plates at her threat, much to my amusement. We grabbed our scroll and, before I could discuss anything any further with the boys, we were pushed towards a large gate leading into the forest. Anko opened it up for us.

"Have fun!" Her voice was teasingly bright and cheerful as we entered the Forest of Death. As soon as we stepped in and the gate was closed behind us, we set off in search of another scroll.

When we were about two and a half hours into the forest, Togaru stated, "We should split up and meet back somewhere.. We'd cover more ground and get that Earth scroll a lot faster." We skidded to a stop high up in the canopy. I shook my head.

"We can't risk someone getting hurt. It'd slow us down and, if we lost someone we wouldn't pass." Togaru snorted. "What's that?" I scowled at him.

"Since when do you make the decisions for this team, huh? I thought this was a group effort." His voice stung.

"Since you started making shitty suggestions, I guess!" I argued. We bickered back and forth untill Tanoshii whipped out a kunai and swiftly threw it into the leaves above us.

"Shit!" someone cursed just as a lanky boy fell from the tree tops. I glanced at Tanoshii in disbelief before bringing my attention to the other two ninja jumping down to help their teammate. Tanoshii had landed a perfect hit in the boy's left shoulder, his shirt already beginning to soak with blood. His teammates, a blonde-headed girl who looked to be my age, maybe a little less mature, loomed over him for a few seconds before helping him. The other boy had his full attention on us. His hair was black and messy and fell over his Amegakure headband. He had his Eath scroll strapped to his waist.

"Give us your Heaven scroll!" he growled as he got into a fighting position. Togaru laughed.

"Like hell!" He made a hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The next thing I knew, there were Togaru clones everywhere on every branch and limb, the thought of each of them having the same unique abilities that Togaru himself posesses would've struck fear through any opponent. Too bad this kid didn't know what he was getting himself into.

"I'll take care of this one. Hold on to the scroll. Don't let _anyone _have it." He handed the scroll to the blonde girl who looked at him alarmed. She tucked the scroll away in her pouch and stood, leaving her cripled oponent helpless on the ground. I got into a fighting stance.

"You can't have-" I cut her off with a hard punch to the gut that sent her into the tree trunk several feet behind her. She didn't miss a beat as she got back up and into another fighting stance. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The girl made several clones appear surrounding me. She smiled whickedly. "You're finished! That scroll's mine now!"

All her clones came rushing at me. I swept the feet out from under the first one and watched it disappear in a poof of smoke as I finished it with a kunai. The next one that came at me, I thought quickly against and leaped onto it's back, quick to take out the last ones with a round house kick before jumping up and bashing my foot into the skull of the last one I had been standing on.

"Those were some weak clones, sweetie." She came at me with a kunai in hand. I moved out of the way and grabbed her wrist in a sinsitive area just below her forearm, causing her to drop her weapon.

"Don't call me sweetie," she snarled. I scowled and gave her wrist a sqeeze untill I heard a satisfying crack. She screamed like a banshee, much to by annoyance, so I went ahead and took out her legs. I grabbed the scroll from her pouch and glanced at Tanoshii, who was battling semi-seriously with the other injured ninja. Togaru had long since finished the other one, I had realized, so I tucked the scroll away in my pouch with our other one and grabbed Tanoshii's attention.

"Tanoshii-kun! We're done here. I have the scroll." Tanoshii dropped the ninja, who landed roughly on his shoulder, and started towards us.

The boy sat up, one hand holding his shoulder. "N-no..!" he pleaded. "Please..! Give it b-back.." His voice faded as he blacked out and I felt a twinge of guilt. I shook it off. If I wanted to be a ninja, it meant people were going to have to get hurt or, on certain occasions and terms, killed. It wasn't something odd or surprising for a ninja to see somebody brutally murdered or critically injured. ANBU probably saw it every day, and that's someplace I want to be when I'm older.

We went towards the tower, running into several different teams on our way, but purposely overlooking them if possible to save time and trouble. We didn't see much of anyone we knew, which made me wonder how Prin and Naruto's teams were doing. I could only imagine that Prin's team is probably doing better than us. Yet another thing I'm jealous of that Prin has: a compatible team. Her team never asks questions and they never fight or bicker. She brangs about them all the time and how they have these oh-so-amazing missions. Sometimes she's such a bitch.. But I love her.

"What the hell..?" Togaru stopped all of a sudden. I guessed he was tired from running as much as we had been. It'd been about three hours or so since we had gotten our last scroll. When I stopped and prepared to tell him to stop being lazy and keep going, I heard laughter.

"It's coming from over there." Tanoshii lead us to the left of where we had stopped and we followed, sure he was right. He'd done surprisingly well, we had to admit. If it weren't for him we might not have our scrolls, if a scroll at all.

"Let go, dammit!" Someone growled. I stopped next to Tanoshii and glanced down into the small clearing. Kin of Team Dosu had Sakura by her hair while Zaku and Dosu, I believe were all their names, were ready to attack.

Togaru pointed and whispered, "Look". When I followed his finger and looked closer, I saw Lee grounded in the center of the clearing. Alone. No Neji, no Tenten, just Lee. When I looked a distance behind Sakura, I saw Naruto and Sasuke, bloody and bruised. I gasped and Togaru brought his hand to my mouth. "Shut up!" I jerked his hand away.

"I don't know why Lee is by himself. Neji and Tenten are right there." Tanoshii pointed to the opposite side of the clearing and, sure enough, there stood Neji, arms crossed, with Tenten obediently at his side with a look of worry and regret on her features. My nostrils flared and I felt my face burning. How could they leave their own teammate out in a battle by himself, especially when he's losing, and just watch? I took off around the clearing, trying my best to stay silent through the trees as I made my way towards them. I heard Togaru and Tanoshii behind me.

"What are you doing?" Tanoshii asked like I was crazy. Maybe I was.

"I'm just going to see why they're leaving there teammate out in battle by himself," I answered in a voice as calm as I could possibly manage, only to sound like I was about to fly off my rocker. Fail. Again.

"This isn't our battle, okay? Let's just go back and be on our way. I bet the tower isn't that fa-" I cut Togaru off again, much to his annoyance.

"Don't say a word about us having both scrolls. Got it?" He started to protest but nodded in agreement. "Just follow my lead." I stopped behind Neji and Tenten who were still peering into the clearing. They were in the perfect spot behind Dosu and Zaku and could easily jump down and kick them without them knowing or throw a weapon or _something _but they just stood there. I didn't even bother to lower my voice.

"What the hell are you doing?" Neji turned his head calmly but Tenten jumped in surprise. He probably sensed me a long time ago.

"What's it look like?" Neji's voice held a venomous snarl-like twinge to it. It only made me angrier.

"Abandoning a teammate? Watching him helplessly mess up and get himself hurt like some kind of guinea pig?" He turned to face me fully. "Yeah, real classy. That's the Hyuuga way, huh?"

"If you care so much then why don't you go join him?" he growled through clenched teeth.

I laughed. "Sure thing you coward! Enjoy the show." Tenten was speechless. I went to step by him and jump from the limb, but he grabbed my arm and flung me backwards. I fell to the branch below, hearing a smack sound from where Neji and Tenten stood.

"Don't touch her!" Togaru snarled just as I looked up to see him and Neji nose to nose. Did he punch him? I didn't think about it as I pushed myself up and onto the Hyuuga,taking us both out of the tree. Tenten yelled something I didn't pay any attention to. When we hit the ground I was on top of him, so I went for the opening and started punching him repeatedly in the face. He activated his Byakugan and before I could jump out of his reach, he had already hit three of my chakra points. I went backwards and hit my back and head on the trunk of a tree. I felt like I couldn't move but I stood up and went at him. He hit another two chakra points, and started backing me up into a corner. Blood came from my throat and I coughed, sputtering it onto his face. Somehow, I managed to push one of his wrists away, throwing him off momentarily as I made a few hand seals.

"Sandaa Saaburu!" Lightning saber. He wasn't sure at first what I was doing untill it was too late and I hurled the last bit of my chakra at him in the form of Raiton element. Before I could see the outcome, I was pulled away, and up into the trees again, to my complete surprise. I struggled against the kidnapper's grip, only to be held tighter.

"What the-?" Whoever it was dropped me on the ground, or tree branch if you'd rather, and I winced at the seering pain that pulsed through every limb on my body. When I looked over, it was Togaru.

"What the hell is your problem?" I was almost frightened at the angry flames in his eyes that were shot my way. I gulped.

"I-"

"I don't even care," he said in a calm voice. Or at least a semi-calm voice seeming as he was infuriated. "I don't know what you're little problem is with Neji, but if it's gotten to the point where you're jeopardizing our team's chances of succeeding by holding a grudge or letting your temper get the better of you or whatever your excuse may be, then it's something that needs to be resolved." His expression softened, but only slightly.

"How am I 'jeopardizing' our team?" I asked. He rolled his eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You think he didn't see those scrolls in your pouch when he had that Byakugan activated?" My eyes grew wide in realization. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're both gone." I checked my pouch and let out a gush of air I had been holding in when I saw both scrolls tucked away under my weapons. I pulled them out an handed them to him, feeling his eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.

"I'm not going play mommy for you and tell you to go say sorry," he started, leaning against the trunk of the big tree. "and personally, I kind of enjoyed it. You both got some sense knocked into you. Or at least I hope. Anyway, I'm just suggesting you at least say something to Tenten so she doesn't think you're psycho." I had almost forgot about her being there. Not only her, but all the people in the clearing. I'd be surprised if they hadn't seen or heard us, but when I leaned back to examine the area I had just left, I saw a cloud of smoke and dust. I hung my head in shame.

"I don't care. It can wait." I slowly made my way to my feet with the support of the tree trunk. "Where's Tanoshii?" He shrugged.

"Oh hell. He better not have.."

"You don't think he..?"

"We better make sure." We made a beeline towards the clearing, silently praying that Tanoshii hadn't done the same thing Lee had. Does that make me a hypocrit? When I was nearly knocked out of the canopy by a flash of brown spikey hair, I could only guess that we'd found who we were looking for.

"Oh! Sorry Mizu-chan. Where were you guys?" he asked as he steadied my wobbley form and examined me from head to toe, a look of concern on his face. "Tenten's scared to death! Neji's out like a light. That last blow you got in on him really did it." Togaru offered me a harsh stare.

"See? You've put her in a really bad position now."

"Can we just get to the tower? I'm tired of all this bullshit." I started off of the branch, but winced as pain went all through me, mainly my chest, arms, and abdomen.

"You're no good like this. Get on my back." I was alarmed by Togaru's kind offering at first, but when I took into consideration the incredible pain throughout me, I hopped on and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Now I'm leading this team, I hope?"

I laughed. "Lead away."

"Wake up, princess." I blinked my eyes open to the sound of Tanoshii's voice. "We're done! We made it through the Forest of Death!" I looked around and took in my surroundings. I was still on Togaru's back, but we weren't in the forest anymore. We weren't even within _sight_ of the forest, much to my own delight. I climbed off of Togaru's back and found my self in the center of Konoha, all the regulars walking down the calm street and hardly even paying attention to us.

"We.. made it..?" My voice was almost inaudible as I turned to face Togaru and Tanoshii. Togaru looked oddly happier than usual, and his expression seemed almost giddy. I couldn't place why, other than the fact we'd survived the Forest of Death and were that much closer to becoming Chunin... Huh.

"Well we didn't die if thats what you're getting at." Togaru even _sounded _kind of giddy.

"Why didn't you wake me when we got to the tower?" I asked him with my hands on my hips. Tanoshii smiled.

"Togaru didn't want to wake you. You just looked too darn cute!" Tanoshii pinched my cheek and I pushed his hand away with a slight laugh as I turned my attention back to a blushing Togaru.

He turned his nose in the other direction. "Yeah, well, you would've just started bickering or whining about something if we woke you." Good excuse. Too bad I didn't have the energy to bash him anymore than I had today. "You should go to the infirmary. You look pretty drained." I nodded and started towards the Infirmary that was only a short distance from where we were standing in the middle of the village.

"Hey! We have three days untill preliminaries!" I waved over my head, aknowledging I had heard Togaru's statement.

I walked into the large building and the lady behind the desk immediately looked up from her papers. "I guess you must be from these exams?" I nodded and she got up from her seat behind the counter. "Follow me." She lead me down a large hallway filled with serious medical nins who had their noses glued to their clip boards. I'm sure the last thing on their mind's was a girl from the chunin exams. "Just take a seat rigt here and I'll have someone come take care of you in a minute." She left me in the room.

I ended up leaving with a lot of bandages and strict orders to stay in bed and heal for at least a day before doing any more training. I've never really been one to obey the doctors orders. I went home and decided to wait for Prin and it didn't take her long to start knocking down my door. I didn't have time to answer because she was already letting herself in.

"Hey little lady!" she chirped as she walked in. I sighed. The sun had yet to rise so I assumed it was early in the morning, which explained why I felt so incredibly tired.

"Hey. You made it?"

"Duh!" she laughed. "Were you expecting us to get killed? We're going to priliminaries with you guys now!" She jumped up and down cheerfully and I smiled thoughtfully at her. She looked at me with her head cocked to the side in confusion.

"Did you get hurt? What's with the bandages?" I had almost forgot about the bandages that covered my arms and shoulders and, though it wasn't visible under my clothes, my chest and half of my torso as well. Was she just now noticing this..?

"Something like that." My voice darkened at the memory, damn Hyuuga.

"My pretty boy senses are tingling," she blurted, a look of fake distress on her face. "What'd you do now?"

"We got into a little quarrel is all.. It's not like we killed eachother or anything, he's fine too I'm sure." I bit my lip unsure of what kind of reaction she was going to give me. She had a look of calmness wash over her, making her seem oddly relaxed. I sighed.

"You're helpless," she said in a nonoffensive way, a delusional half laugh at the end that caught my attention.

"I don't know why he makes me so mad," I admitted as I ran a hand through my hair, taking it out of its ribbon so it flowed freely down my back. "and so easily. I've never had such temper problems, have I?" She gave me a look that said something like, "Do you _really _want me to answer that..?"

"You have a temper, no doubt, but I couldn't see you attacking someone." She turned her attention to the window and watched the sun slowly peak over the trees. "Was that big smoke cloud..?"

"Yeah."

"_Damn_."

"Mmhm." She stood up from where she had been seated at the foot of my bed and stretched her arms over her head. "Three days. I gotta get home and rest. Maybe we can train tomorrow?" I nodded in agreement. "Catch you later. I'll be at the bakery this afternoon. Make sure you let me know what's up with Naruto.. And Lee." I smiled as I heard her giggle before shutting my door behind her. I was instantly glad I hadn't told her about Lee's fight because two things would've upset her; One, he was hurt pretty bad and two, he was fighting for Sakura. Maybe if I were lucky she'd just go back to liking Kiba, even though I'm pretty sure she only liked him for his dog.

I leaned back in my bed and let out a sigh as I climbed under the sheets and kicked off my shoes. There's something wrong with me. How could I have thought I even possibly liked Neji Hyuuga?

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**Uh oh. O.O Mizukara has finally went over the deep end. Poor Neji-kun and his now fried hair. Also, I'm so, so, so, so, SO sorry for these uber long chapters. I just can't find it in myself to write smaller chapters. . **

**Review please!**


	9. The Pact

**Longest chapter so far. LOL sorry again . :/ This is probably my least favorite chapter because it's a little too blunt in places. I got a little bored writing about the other matches.**

**IT ARE DISCLAIMUR TIME.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except the original characters (OCs) in this fan fic. Everything else pretty much all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

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"Why am I so terrible with weopons?" Prin whined as she examined her target. Her weapons had hit almost everywhere on the target except the center spot that she had been aiming for. I hadn't hit all of mine, but I had hit a good few of them. She made a face as she examined my target. "I hate you."

"It's your stance and you position," I pointed out. "You kind of slouch. And your feet are too close together. Move them apart."

_"Yes Mizukara Sensei!" _she said in an annoyingly high pitched, teasing voice as she did just as I said and lazily threw the kunai as her eyes were glued on me. "See, your advice doesn't-" She started to point to the target, expecting it to have missed, but found it in the dead center. She jumped up and down happily. "Yes!"

"Told you." She rolled her eyes. "So what about Sakura, huh? I heard she really took control of herself for the first time and actually fought." I threw another kunai and watched it hit the target's center with a smack. "Now she doesn't depend on her team to protect her. She's more self reliant."

"Thats great I guess," Prin shrugged as she tossed another kunai and it hit close to the center. "I still don't fancy her way of treating Naruto. But at least she won't be dead weight."

"I have a new found respect for her." I went to retrieve my kunai. "Every ninja has that wake up call when they really need it. I'm just glad she finally had hers." I put the weapons in my pouch.

"I guess she's okay. Ino's the only air head now, hm?"

"I wouldn't say Sakura's not an air head, I mean she still has that thing for Sasuke. It's just she's a little bit _less _obsessive."

"But still.. I like her better than Ino." I laughed but agreed with her logic. "I'm hungry. Let's go get some eats." We put away our weapons and started toward's Ichiraku's chattering mindlessly about Chunin exams and who we wanted to see fight. Prin particularly wanted to see the sand nin and holder of the Shakaku, Gaara, against Sasuke or Lee. I wanted to see Shino fight period, simply because I had heard he had great potential, though he mostly kept to himself. His fighting style was pretty unique and he uses bugs during most of his fighting.

Prin went pale. "I hope I don't have to fight him. I hate those tiny little beasts." She shivered in disgust. I rolled my eyes.

We sat at Ichiraku's and ordered our ramen as we examined the people sitting at the bar, rating the men on how cute they were on a scale of one to ten, and the women on how shallow we guessed they were from one to one hundred. When Ino stepped in with her team we harmonized, "One hundred!" before snickering and turning away from her confused glare.

"Shikamaru?" I asked Prin. She examined him silently, a look of complete concentration on her face.

"Hmm.." she said. "I'd say six. Seven on a good day." I nodded in agreement. "Chouji?"

"Uh, Three. No higher, no lower."

"No comment." Prin threw her hand up in the air and waved. "Ino-chan! Over here!" I said nothing as Ino walked over, Shika and Chouji in tow.

"Hey guys," she greeted us as she hopped onto the stool next to us. "How's it going?" Prin giggled randomly.

"Oh you know, same ol', same ol'. How about you guys?"

"Just finished some training and thought we'd stop by for a bite." Ino ordered her ramen before turning back to us. "You guys made it through didn't you? The Forest of Death, I mean."

"Our teams got back two days ago," I stated, seeing as Prin had abandoned the conversation to watch a group men walk into the ramen bar.

"Black hair, green eyes.. I'd give him an eight. The other one a six. Blonde a ten, he's pretty cute." Prin turned knowingly to me. "You?"

I studied the men. "Blond a nine, green eyes a nine, the other one a five. He's dirty looking." Ino looked at us curiously. "We're rating guys. Girls by shallowness." We thanked the man behind the counter as he placed our ramen in front of us. "Put this game on pause, will you Prin?"

"Sure thing. I'm starving." She poked delicately at her food before wrapping it around the sticks and sticking it in her mouth. Ino watched too, clearly intrigued by her odd elegance. Prin was doing it on purpose, I confirmed.

"So you guys have been in for a while.." Shikamaru mumbled. "I thought Neji had you out for the count." I could only guess this was directed at me, seeing as he lazily glanced at me from over his bowl of ramen. Prin and Ino were looking at me as well, awaiting some kind of answer. Chouji was too busy ordering his next bowl.

"So you saw us, huh?" He nodded slowly. "He's.. Wretched. Letting a teammate fight an unfair battle alone while you sit back and watch.." I dug my nails into the counter, Ino visibly flinching at the sight. "That's pathetic, damn coward."

There was a long silence until Ino turned to me. "Are you sure it was his fault that he wasn't helping his teammate? Maybe Lee told him to-"

"Are you suggesting it's okay to leave a teammate in battle under any circumstances?" I asked her through clenched teeth. Prin put her hand on my arm. "You were there, too. I bet you actually helped, didn't you?"

"We did! Honest!" Ino sounded like a child, much to Prin's amusement.

"That's great, Ino-chan." I got up from my seat and made to leave the bar. "I'll see you later Prin. Exams tomorrow.. I hope you're ready."

"I hope you guys win because I don't plan on jumping down to save you," Togaru snorted as we entered the big arena. I laughed and started to knock him up side the head only for him to duck and push my wrist away with such ease I felt stupid for even trying. I'm sure that comment was aimed more at Tanoshii than me, however.

We joined Prin and her teammates, Kauru and Hane, next to the railing that overlooked the arena below. They seemed oddly calm for the situation. "Hey guys."

Prin smiled in return. "Hiya Mizu-chan. Togaru, Tanoshii. We're the first one's here!" They nodded in acknowledgement. "I think I've decided who I want to be against. But of course, it's a long shot." I remembered back to yesterday during our training when I asked Prin who she'd like to go against in the exams and she momentarily hesitated before saying she didn't know. I wanted several people; Temari, Sakura, Shino, Kiba, and most of all, Neji. I mainly wanted to fight Kiba and Shino to see just how they fought, and Sakura and Temari so I could poke at them and upset them; I smiled at the thought. And then there was Neji. Not much need for an explanation there, I guess.

"Who?" I asked, genuinely curious. She smiled, though not in a cute or playful way but a sort of light hearted and still serious way, and looked down at the empty arena.

"You." Kauru and Hane, who had been casually leaned against the railing, staggered slightly, while Tanoshii and Togaru blinked in confusion. I let surprise take me over at first before regaining my composure and smiling the same smile she smiled at me.

"That would be a fight," I agreed. "If only we could choose.." She nodded in understanding.

"Let's make a pact." I looked at her curiously. "If we ever fight seriously, we have to try our hardest and no matter what the outcome may be, we stay friends forever." She held out her hand and I examined it for several seconds. Togaru smiled thoughtfully and turned back to a discussion he had been having with Tanoshii, Hane, and Kauru.

I spit in my hand and grabbed hers before she could flinch away. "It's done." She jerked her hand away and wiped it on her shirt, a look of disgust on her face as I sniggered at her. We stopped when we noticed Kurenai and her team making their way towards us.

"Kurenai-sama!" Prin greeted her respectively. Prin and I had spent much time with Kurenai when Juro or Kazue were on another one of their missions and she had to train us. She was really nice and easy to talk to, so me and Prin had immediately liked her.

"Prin. Mizukara. It's great to see you two here with your teams," she said in a voice that made me want to fall asleep, it was so soft and nice to hear. I missed training with her. Kiba offered us a wink and I brushed it off as nothing while Prin's face turned a crimson shade of red, something I'm sure Kurenai noticed. I sighed at how hopeless she was.

"It's great to see your team too," I replied. "Hinata-chan."

"Mizu-chan," she said quietly, almost inaudibly, in return. I nodded at Shino.

"I'm anxcious to see how you use your insects in battle. It's something I've been looking forward to." He looked over his glasses at me, momentarily forgetting the bug on his finger.

"You will." His voice was cold and I could automatically tell he was serious when it came to his bugs in battle. I could respect that, I suppose. Kurenai had gone to make conversation with our Senseis while we made chatter. Prin poked curiously at Akamaru who was now curled up in Kiba's arms, his tail wagging slightly every time she made to touch him.

"He's so cute!" Prin said cheerfully before looking up at Kiba. "And not _just _the dog." Shino and I both looked away in slight discomfort and half disbelief. I wish she would make up her mind when it came to guys. Before Kiba could say a cheesey pick-up line, I caught eye of Naruto.

"Naruto-kun!" I waved over at the blonde boy who rushed over to us, Sakura and Sasuke following closely behind. When Naruto came over I pinched his cheek and roughly pulled him towards me as he let out a yelp.

"Why the hell didn't you let us know when you got back?" Prin asked as she pinched his other cheek. He let out another muffled yelp.

"I-I forgot!" he blurted just as we let go of him and he grabbed both sides of his face in pain. He let out a groan.

"Naruto.." Sakura started. She looked jumpy or slightly shaken, like if you poked her shoulder she turn around quickly and back hand you. I decided to acknowledge her.

"Sakura-chan." She looked at me alarmed, either with the fact I was talking to her, or the fact I was talking to her without threatening her. "I heard about what you did in the forest." She looked away, uncertain of what my reaction would be. "I thought it was a very noble thing to do, protecting your fallen teammates the way you did. That's something only a real ninja is capable of doing." I smiled at her and she hesitantly offered one back.

"Thank you Mizu-chan." I glanced at Sasuke who had his arms crossed over his chest in an arrogant fashion. I saw a gleam of hate go through Prin's eyes.

"And I don't guess the Uchiha even bothered to thank you, hm?" He offered an angry glance towards me, one I hastily returned with a smirk as arrogant as himself. "I would've left him to die."

"He saved us!" Sakura exclaimed, a look of hate on her face. I arched an eyebrow, unamused. Sasuke shot her a glance that told her to shut up, which she did.

"I told you it's none of your business," he mumbled under his breath, making Sakura wince like he hit her with a low blow. Naruto looked slightly angered and I thought I heard him murmer "Asshole" under his breath.

Ino's team soon joined us, Ino offering a friendly wave. Prin and I gave her a half hug, seeing as now we liked her better than Sakura after her little "He saved us!" bullshit. She shifted uncomfortably. Before Ino or any of her other teammates could say anything, Tenten, Lee, and _he _joined us. He walked directly in front of me and offered a cold, hard, angry glare, one that I returned equally. He may not have realized it, but I was sizing him up just in case we got a matched up against each other all the while keeping my gaze at those milky eyes. Naruto and Prin stood awkwardly at my sides, Naruto prepared to say something unintelligible, I could only assume, and Prin looking casually in the other direction. Ino now realized why there was so much tension at the ramen bar yesterday evening, when I got up and left her and her team speechless.

Lee was the only one brave enough to break the silence. "I think they're fixing to start the match up." I spun on my heel making sure that Neji got a nice view of me not caring enough to talk to him let alone acknowledge him more than I already had. Hayate Gekko, the proctor of the third part of the exam, started going over the things we needed to know, like how to lose or win and what precautions were to be taken, not that anyone much listened. We all turned to the big screen at the top of the arena on the northernmost wall as they began matching up opponents for the first match up.

"Uchiha Sasuke.." Hayate stopped momentarily to cough. "and Akado Yoroi. Please step forward." The two made their way down the steps towards the center of the arena where Hayate stood coughing erratically.

When they made it to the center Hayate raised his hand and said, "begin."

The match was fairly short, Yoroi getting the upper hand straight from the beginning. It was almost scary to watch as Yoroi began to drain Sasuke's chakra through his hands, almost like he was draining the life out of him. "Why doesn't he just use jutsu?" I glanced over at Kiba, who had made the remark. "He could've escaped that one." I nodded in agreement. Naruto taunted Sasuke snidely, Sakura elbowing him in the chest every chance she could.

"You better not lose Sasuke!" he blurted in his loud, obnoxiously voice. Sasuke looked up at him, suddenly shifting his eyes to Lee who stood next to Naruto. Before anyone knew it, Sasuke had knocked out Yoroi with a Lion Combo, a copy of Lee's Front Lotus move that I guessed he had to have dicovered with the help of his sharingan. Hayate stepped forward.

"Sasuke Uchiha proceeds to the finals," he said as a group of medics came to retrieve Yoroi from the arena. Sasuke had disappeared somewhere else, but I didn't think anymore about it as everyone turned their attention back to the big screen.

"Abumi Zaku and Aburame Shino. Please step forward." I leaned over the railing, excited to see what Shino's bugs were capable of. I brought my attention to Zaku, who's left arm dangled at his side motionless.

"So Sasuke really did break his arm," I heard Lee say. I cocked my head to the side and leaned over Naruto to look at Lee.

"Huh?"

"You didn't hear?" I shook my head. "Oh. You must've already left. Sasuke woke with an incredible amount of power, and he ruthlessly broke Zaku's arm." My jaw dropped. "He was.. _Demonic_. He wouldn't have stopped if it weren't for Sakura-san." I bit my lip unknowingly and turned my attention back to the battle that had now began. When I concentrated in on what was going on, there was an explosion, then a scream. I gasped.

"What the fuck?" I asked, making Prin giggle. She always thought it was the funniest thing when I freaked out because I didn't do it often and it didn't seem like something I would do, which made it all the more odd.

When the smoke cleared, Hayate declared Shino the winner, causing me to frown. "I missed it."

"It wasn't much. He sent his bugs at Zaku who, turns out, can actually use both arms. It was pretty pointless though because the battle was over when his bugs blocked Zaku's chakra and built up their own before exploding." Prin shivered. "Gross!"

"That was great, Shino-kun," Hinata said as he approached his teammates, seemingly unharmed.

"Yeah, I knew you'd win!" Kiba added.

"Tsurugi Misumi and Kankuro." Cough. "Please step forward."

Misumi took advantage quickly, seeming to have Kankuro defeated until Kankuro's skin started pealing off and falling to the ground. The look on Misumi's face was priceless; shocked, horrified, scared, confused, you name it, it was on his face. The Kankuro he had been fighting was only a puppet and Kankuro quickly defeated him with it.

"How is that fair? Wasn't it two on one?" Prin asked as Kankuro made his way back to his team, completely unharmed.

"It was a weapon, like a shuriken or kunai. Even Akamaru is a weapon." I gestured towards Kiba who offered a goofy smile in return. Prin nodded in understanding.

Sakura and Ino's names were called and they shared a long stare before making their way down. Everyone knew they were rivals competing for the same prize, The Uchiha, but it was still shocking that they were actually going to fight.

"Knock her dead Ino!" Prin bellowed as she leaned over the rail so far her feet weren't touching the ground. Naruto growled.

"How can you cheer for her? She stinks!" He turned back to the match. "Go Sakura-chan!"

The match went back and forth for almost an hour. I had to admit it was pretty sweet, the way you don't know who's going to win or who's going to fall and just not get back up. When Sakura went at Ino with her fist drew back, Ino did the same, and they connected with brutal force, knocking both of them out. Neither one proceeded to the next round. They took both of them back up to where we stood instead of to the medics, seeing as their injuries were minor, and they were only sleeping.

The next one was Tenten and Temari. As Tenten went down, I decided I should start cheering since I had remained remotely silent the whole time, much to my own surprise. Prin and I leaned over the railing. "Come on Tenten! Cut her to pieces!" She smiled in return, acknowledging she had heard our comment. The match was pretty quick, though. All of Tenten's weapons were countered with Temari's fan. It was almost like she had an unfair advantage over Tenten, with that stupid fan. She cruelly tossed Tenten in the air and caught her on the end of her fan. I felt my blood start boiling.

"She can't treat Tenten that way!" Lee bellowed as he prepared to jump down and help Tenten. Gai Sensei grabbed him and pulled him away.

"You'll only start a fight, Lee," he stated in an unnaturally calm voice. Lee protested but it rendered useless.

After Shikamaru's fight, it was Naruto and Kiba's turn. Judging by the distressed look on Prin's face, I could only assume she was torn with who to cheer for. I turned to Naruto who had started on his way down to the arena.

"Win for me.. Onii-san!" He stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned his head, a grin from ear to ear on his face.

"Believe it!"

"Onii-san?" Prin asked as I turned back to her. She and Lee both looked at me curiously.

I smiled. "He really is like a brother to me. Just like you're like a sister." I pinched her cheek and she giggled like a little girl. Lee smiled happily.

"Lee, you're great, too. What a match it would be if I got to fight Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, hm?" Lee's smile grew wider but before he could say a word, Gai cut in.

"Such a _youthful _match up it would be!" he bellowed. "My youthful prodigy against the most youthful balanced ninja on Juro's team." He had a gleam in his eye.

"Indeed! I wouldn't go easy on you though, Mizu-chan!"

"You wouldn't need to." I turned to whoever made the remark, prepared to fuck em' up until I saw it was Neji. I let out a sigh, though it sounded more like a half frustrated groan.

"I do wish you would mind your own business Hyuuga. No one's talking to _you_." Lee and I turned our attention back to Naruto and Kiba.

Shortly after the fight had began, Kiba used his Beast Clone Jutsu, turning Akamaru into an identical clone, confusing Naruto and making him second guess his attacks. With Kiba using such forceful, dead on attacks, Naruto was beginning to fall back. "He needs to improvise. Why isn't he doing anything..?" Prin shrugged in response.

It seemed we had spoken to soon, when Naruto turned into a Kiba Clone. We couldn't put our finger on exactly what Naruto had up his sleeve until Kiba pounced at one of the clones, a cloud of smoke changing whoever it was back to their original state.

"Naruto!" Prin yelped, affraid he was seriously injured. When the smoke cleared we all let out a gasp.

Akamaru had been attacked, not Naruto. As the realization hit Kiba, he began to attack faster and harder, strictly to keep Naruto from counter attacking. Every hit looked more and more painful and every time Naruto fell down, we weren't sure if he would get back up.

When Kiba went in for another attack, he slid slightly off target and ended up right behind Naruto in a failed attempt. The next thing we knew, Kiba had a hand over his nose yelling something unintelligable. We blinked in confusion.

"Did he seriously just..?"

"Uh huh.."

I put my head down on the rails and let out an embarrassed laugh. "Oh Naruto.."

"Now I'll use my new technique!" I looked up when I heard the sound of shadow clones appearing. "The Uzumaki Naruto Combo!" One of the Naruto clones kicked Kiba in the jaw, sending him air born. The other hit him again in the air before the original Naruto performed a kick to the face that sent Kiba to the ground in defeat.

Hayate looked at Kiba and back to Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki advances to the next round." He started jumping up and down happily as he made his way back up to us.

"Yes! Great job Onii-san!" I hugged him happily as he came back up and he half collapsed in my arms, exhausted and beaten. He gave me a look that said to forgive him.

We brought our attention to the now flashing screen. "Next is Hyuuga Neji and.." We watched the screen intently. I secretly hoped I would be next, unknown to Prin or Lee who probably wouldn't have minded having a crack at the genius Hyuuga themselves. When it stopped on that one name, everyone's blood went cold.

"Hyuuga Hinata." She stood stiff for several seconds until Shino put his hand on her shoulder and said something I couldn't hear. Everyone knew Neji had it out for Hinata simply because her branch of the family was ranked much higher than his. I know few details on the whole situation, but I do know it's not Hinata's fault Neji is the way he is.

As Hinata made her way down, Kiba stopped her from going as he was being carried away on a stretcher, though their conversation was beyond my ears.

I didn't even think about what I was saying. "Come on Hinata-chan! Me and Naruto know you can beat that asshole!" I was standing halfway on the railing with Naruto in a killer headlock that he was trying to fight out of. When I let him go he started cheering too.

"Yeah, Hinata-chan!" Neji looked calm, but I could tell he was boiling under the surface trying to hold in all his emotions. I could tell this was going to be a good fight.

"Begin," Hayate coughed.

For a while, all they did was stare at each other, though Neji's stare was clearly eating Hinata alive. It got intense when they both activated their Byakugan. They immediately went at it, using the Hyuuga Gentle Fist fighting style, much to my amazement. It's one thing to see a Hyuuga fight, but two against each other was a completely different equation. Every move was almost too fast to see, and it was clear they were both going as hard as they could. Hinata had to bend over almost completely backwards just to keep from getting hit.

The match dragged on for what seemed like forever until Hinata got knocked to the ground, a hard blow to her chest.

"No.. Come on Hinata!" Prin cheered, but it was useless as Hinata fell to the ground, blood pouring from her mouth. Neji got into a fighting position.

"It's over. You're attacks had almost no effect on me as it was." Neji started to make his way back up to the balcony, making my blood boil so bad I thought steam was come out of my ears. When Hayate began to give Neji the win Naruto yelled.

"It's not over!" Several people in the balcony flashed him a look that said he was crazy but he payed them no attention. Everyone turned their attention to Hinata who was beginning to get back up slowly, clearly not standing a chance. She staggered back and forth unbalanced.

"I believe you are suffering more than me." Neji looked at his younger cousin with a look of shock and anger.

His teeth were clenched. "I'm not suffering," he growled.

"Like you said before... I'm a main house brat.. and you're a member of the side branch who is sealed from freedom by... that.. curse mark." She coughed up some more blood. "Just like a caged bird."

Neji went off in a dead sprint his intentions clear as day: kill Hinata. Before he could touch her, the Jounin, Kurenai among them, came to hold him back. Hinata, who was still in a fighting stance, went limp and fell backwards into one of the Jounin's arms.

Hayate stood forward. "Hyuuga Neji proceeds to the next round."

Before I could react Naruto was jumping over the railing and marching towards the Hyuuga. I flashed Prin a look that read I was as angry as he was, but not quite as dumb before I followed and grabbed his arm, but he wrenched it free and continued forward.

"Naruto, stop!"

"No way! I can't let him get away with almost killing Hinata!" He went to where Hinata had been laying seconds before and stuck his fingers in the remaining blood, holding up his fist. "I will win!"

As the Hyuuga went back to his spot in the balcony next to Lee, he was given several killer glances, not that he cared. It was quite a treat to see other people sharing the same hate I share with him. It was like they were seeing for the first time what it's like with him while in my shoes. Everyone directed their attention to the screen yet again, hardly bothering to acknowledge the Hyuuga.

Several names dashed across the screen before it stopped on Prin. "Yay!" she cheered.

"Ibaraka Prin and.." I watched my name flash across the screen for a split second every time it racked through the other names. My heart started beating fast at the thought of finally fighting Prin seriously. I remembered the pact we had made before the Exam started.

"Sadurobi Mizukara." The whole place went dead silent as we were summoned forward. I gave Prin a glance that indicated I was more than ready for this, and we both knew this time would come eventually. Every ninja finds themselves in situations they're not entirely comfortable with, but that's just how it is. You don't always have a choice.

She held out her arm, a small smile played across her lips. "Shall we?" I smiled and latched my arm with hers.

"Let's go."

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**FAIL. **

**Review please. :P**


	10. Breaking Out

**Chapter 10. ^^ Woo! If you've bothered to read this far, I love you. No seriously, I love you. lol.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except the OCs.. Sigh. **

**Enjoy!**

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Naruto looked on desperately, unsure of how to react. He had his hands at his sides in hard fists, his face indicating he was having a moral conflict within himself. Lee looked at him puzzled.

"Who're you hoping to win, Naruto?" He shook his head with a groan.

"GAH! I don't know Lee!" he howled as he grabbed his head insecurely. Sakura and Ino had long sense woke up and made their way to their teammates to watch the resuming battles.

"I'd have to say I'm on the fence as well. Mizukara has some well balanced stats, more balanced than Prin's no doubt, and Prin can be quite tactless in battle. She tends to make minor rookie mistakes when in a serious situation that could result in life or death," Hane commented from where he stood casually leaned against the railing. Lee nodded in understanding.

"Agreed. Prin is a little lighter on her feet, maybe even a little faster," Lee added. "but they're both talented ninja."

When we made our way to the center of the arena, I unlatched my arm from hers and she took her fighting stance in front of me. Hayate looked at us lazily and coughed. "Are you guys ready?" We nodded. "Then begin."

Prin immediately went for a kunai and threw it at me. It took little effort to dodge the weapon. "Your aiming hasn't gotten any better, I see." I went at her with a punch aimed low only for her to dodge and go for an elbow to the back of my neck, but I ducked and tried to take out her feet unsuccessfully. I did a back flip and landed a few feet away from here.

"Your taijutsu hasn't gotten any better."

"Neither has yours."

"Ha! Whatever!" She made several hand seals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" I watched her take in a deep breath before exhailing deeply, a stream of fire coming directly at me. I moved out of its path but not before scalding my upper left arm near my shoulder. I grabbed it in pain and growled as I lowered to one of my knees. "Give up yet?"

"You're kidding right?" I stood up too quick for her to see and went at her. The last thing I saw cross her face was shock just before my fist connected with her jaw, causing her to stagger back several feet. I sprung forward landing on my hands before pushing off the ground and hitting her hard in the chest with my feet. I watched her hit the wall before I made my next move. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." All of a sudden I found myself in the middle of a crowd of my clones and sent all of them her way. She staggered to her feet and a look of disbelief crossed her face.

"Which one's the right Mizu-chan?" Naruto wondered aloud. I giggled next to him causing him to jump in disbelief.

"I am, silly." I balanced on the railing where I was crouched before turning my attention back to the battle. "It's a much better view from up here than down there, let me tell you."

"What the hell are you doing up here?" I put my hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Sh! I'm watching, idiot! Can you believe she hasn't seen me yet?" We watched her take out several clones with her weapons, clearly avoiding any use of taijutsu if possible. I almost felt bad for her.

Sakura tapped my shoulder. "Are you sure you're allowed to be up here in the middle of your _own _fight..?"

I shrugged. "What's it matter? I'll be down there after she finishes these off. Just thought I'd chat with you guys a sec." Lee offered me a confused look and I only winked in return. I felt the Hyuuga's eyes burning holes in the back of my head. _Ha, _I thought. _I hope I shocked him. He doesn't know half of my abilities.. Asshole._"I guess it's my chance now. Catchya later, guys." I leaped from the railing and did a short flip before heading straight for her, just as she was finishing off the last of my clones with her previous jutsu.

"Where'd she-?" I cut her off with a hard kick to the head causing her to fall back almost unconscious. I stepped back several feet to maintain some distance. I almost smiled when I saw her head was bleeding, probably in need of stitches, as well as her lip from that blow to the face earlier. "Hn.. There you are.." She got to her feet slowly and when she did she seemed almost dazed as she dizzily swung back and forth. I let my guard down for a moment, unsure of how far to go next. She took this as an opening and went at me as fast as she could, but I swiftly moved away, grabbed her arm, and kicked her in the stomachbeofre slinging her backwards in a failed attempt to punch me in the stomach.

"Okay then.." She coughed and a little drop of blood slid down her lips. "I guess it's time to get serious." She stood up and steadied herself, watching me closely as she just stood there, not in a fighting stance like me, but lazily slumped as she held her stomach with one arm. I watched her make a few hand seals. "Katana No Jutsu!" I felt my blood momentarily run cold she held her hand open as a stream of fire summoned itself out of thin air and began to swirl around in her hand, beginning to take the form on something. The flames started swirling faster and stretched longer before a _poof! _sounded and Prin held a long, shiny blade in her hand.

I quickly regained my composure sure that nobody had noticed my shock. I gave her a small smile. "I guess we should even these odds, don't you think?" Prin blinked as I made a couple of hand seals and jumped back a couple feet. "Rai Katana no Jutsu." I forced some of my chakra from my hand into a thin line and began to convert it to lightning, small electric charges spontaneously forming around the blade until it formed a complete Katana, slightly longer than Prin's due to the fact that I used more chakra to form it.

We went straight at eachother and bashed blades, a metallic sound meeting everyone's ears. Our faces were inches apart and, behind all the dirt, blood, and bruises, I could see Prin was serious. Her face seemed intent and deadly, but at the same time, tired, hurt, and maybe even a little scared or regretful, I couldn't tell which. We jumped back and ran at eachother, bashing blades again.

When I decided to go low, she dodged it and I slid behind her, my back turned to her by mistake. She didn't miss the advantage as she drew the blade back and slashed down my back. I let out a miserable yelp and grabbed my back where she had slashed, instantly feeling a familiar warm liquid. The wound started in between my shoulder blades and went all the way down to my lower back, ripping my shirt considerably, though several threads still held it together. I jumped back and faced her, fuming.

"I'm not letting you get away with that," I snarled, the stinging in my back making me wince every time I moved. Prin's swordsmanship was far beyond mine, seeing as her clan began teaching their kids this at an incredibly young age. I went at her again except this time much faster and the blade connected with her shoulder roughly, sending a shock up the blade and through her body causing her to yelp in pain and fall back. I didn't have time to react as she was back on her feet and running at me so fast I couldn't keep track of her.

She started running in circles around me, almost as if to taunt me. "What the-?" I was cut off as something sliced my arm, drawing a thin line of crimson red liquid. Then another one grazed my shoulder, then my cheek, then the back of my legs, even cutting my hair ribbon causing my brown hair to cascade over my shoulders. I was teetering in every other direction as I was cut swiftly all over my body too quick for me to react, especially in such a state. I heard her giggle as I fell to my hands and knees, my Katana layed in front of me. I looked at it gasping for air at the same time I clutched my mangled midsection. Drops of blood were dripping onto the blade every few seconds, I guessed from the gash across my cheek and nose. Prin now stood in front of me.

"And you thought I wouldn't get away with it? Wow. You look pretty dumb now huh, Mizu-chan?" She brushed her bangs out of her eyes in the most arrogant way I'd ever seen her. Though she had the upper hand, she still looked as battered as I did, with dried blood on her cheeks and some fresh blood pouring from her mouth. I hated being in this position, so weak and vulnerable with someone standing over me. It was enough to make me explode.

So I got to my feet and used one thing I knew Prin would never be able to beat me with: Taijutsu. I went at her, forgetting my blade and landed a hard punch to her stomach, then another, and another, and another. She staggered lightly, but I wasn't finished. I jumped back and grabbed my Katana.

"I'm ending this!" I told her, an angry edge to my voice that made her cringe back lightly, though she held on tight to the sword in her hand. I held my sword back, prepared to slice her, as I sprinted towards her full blast. She drew hers back at the same time, causing everyone above us to take in a sharp breath.

All I remember seeing was blood and an almost scary sound of ripping flesh as something sliced at who I hoped was Prin and not me. I stood frozen in the same position, my sword drawn back from my previous thrust, for what felt like the longest time until I heard Prin hit the ground defeated. I looked at the tip of my blade and saw it was smeared with blood, which explained that I _had _hit her.

When I straightened up and let the Katana evaporate as I drew back my chakra, I turned to Prin's crumpled form, a deep gash across her right side was covered with fresh blood, much to my shock. Hayate stepped forward and coughed.

"Sadurobi Mizukara advances to the next round." He crouched over Prin's motionless form and waved for the medics to take her out on a stretcher. I watched with wide eyes as they lifted her up and started to take her away. When she turned her head and looked at me, I was speechless.

She smiled. "You better not lose in the finals, Mizu-chan. I don't want to feel like I lost to you for nothing.." Her voice was noticably full of pain as she was carried away. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

As I made my way to where Naruto stood, I had to use the wall for support due to my weak legs. When Prin had cut the back of my legs, it felt as if I had lost all control of them and even now when I stood my legs shook profusely. I stood next to Naruto.

"That was _awesome_!" he exclaimed as he jabbered on about the occurances of the match up. I payed little attention. Togaru tapped my shoulder and I slowly turned to face him.

"That was a great fight Mizukara," he complimented. I blushed.

"Thanks Tog's. I really appreciate that." He smiled at me.

"You look really hurt.. Don't you think you should go get some help? Maybe get bandaged up?" I suddenly turned hostile.

"Hell no! I don't need any medical attention. I'm just fine.." I staggered as I finished this statement, and Togaru reached out to steady me. "Okay, fine. But I don't think I could walk all the way the-" I didn't have time to say anything else as Togaru hoisted me up into his muscular arms and made to walk out of the arena.

"Sorry if I hurt you," he said. "I don't mean to." I was about to say I was fine, but I was too embarrassed to find the words. I caught Neji's eyes as we left the arena, a slight gleam of hate in them that made me wonder.

**

* * *

**

"We'll be having to keep you over night, sweetie. Just to make sure you don't reopen any wounds and they start bleeding again." The skilled medical nin had been going on for a while about the extent of my injuries and how I need to take it easy for a while. I didn't have much of a problem with this since Finals weren't for another month, so I had plenty of time to sharpen up my skills, since everyone had seen my fighting style. If I took it really easy, I'd be out of here and to the training grounds quicker. The only problem was what to do while I wait.

I'd learned my opponent was going to be Hane, which put me at a great disadvantage right off. He'd seen me fight with Prin but I hadn't got to see him because Togaru drug me away. I'd have to see if Prin could give me any details and maybe help me train. All of this, only if she still chose to talk to me after this was all said and done. Though we did make that pact, I knew Prin could be stubborn when I agreed to it. I did take it seriously, I just don't know how seriously she may have ment it.

"I'll have someone check back up with you later so just hang tight." The woman left the room, her long brown hair trailing behind her as she did. I could really go for some ramen or something. Too bad Naruto's not here. Togaru had to leave after he got me here, though it took some convincing. He wanted to stay and make sure I was okay, but I told him he might have his match soon and he needs to be there to take it or he won't pass. He left with strict plans to come by with Tanoshii and Naruto after the exams were done for today.

It was odd how he was acting so nice. Usually he keeps to himself and never really bothers anyone, and even gets in a couple arguments with me on missions, but he seemed ginuinely concerned about me, oddly enough. It made me nervous the way he watched me so closely when the woman took me back to the room I would be staying in. He looked almost like he was protecting me from something, though there wasn't anything threatening me.

I leaned up in the uncomfortable bed and examined my state. I had bandages all over my chest and part of my stomach was showing from underneath them. I had thought I would need stitches on the back of my legs, but it turned out the cuts weren't even that deep; I had just lost a lot of blood. They had my back well cleaned and taped up as well. The gash across my cheek and nose was covered by a single thin strip of wrapping that went all the way across my face. I wore nothing but the bandages on my chest and stomach and then the shorts I usually wore under my open skirt, which had been cut nearly to nothing but cloth. I also had several bandages on my arms that covered the many very minor cuts and gashes that were all over them.

_Neji's probably laughing his pretty little ass off right now, _I thought. _He saw me in one of the most vulnerable states I've ever been in. I bet it tickled him to death. _It seemed like the sort of heartless way he would think about it. Maybe he wasn't laughing; maybe he was getting punished for what he did to Hinata. I'd never seen Neji look that way, so angry and full of hate. Not even in one of _our _fights. He went into that fight with the intention of killing her, why I just couldn't figure out.

"Move, move move!" I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard several medical ninja chattering in distressed voices. "Who is this one? What the hell _happened _to him?"

"Rock Lee and I'm not entirely sure, but I think that Shukaku kid had something to do with it." The person paused momentarily. "He may never get to be a ninja again." I gasped in shock. I really hoped they were talking about "The Shukaku Kid" and not Lee, though I was almost positive they weren't. I needed to find out what was going on.

"MIZU-CHAAAAN!" I heard several doors open only to get slammed back.

"Hey! I said no visitors! You kids get back here!" I jumped when my door was slung open and Naruto stood there, huffing and puffing like he had ran a mile.

"Get in, get in!" Naruto motioned for the others to run in and then shut the door, locking in swiftly behind him. "Finally! We've been looking everywhere for you!" I blinked in confusion.

"You came back here without permission..?" He nodded triumphantly. "Naruto, they're probably after a key right now."

He smiled. "Then we'll bust you outta here!" Tanoshii and Togaru nodded in agreement. My jaw dropped in disbelief.

"You're not serious. You'd do that for me?" They chorused a "Yeah!" and I smiled and slung my legs across the bed so they were hanging over the side. "I love you guys." I staggered to my feet and Togaru and Naruto helped me balance while Tanoshii opened the window.

"Grab her shit Tanoshii," Togaru commanded as we ducked out the window. He emerged with my weapon pouch and clothes which he stuffed unceremoniously down his shirt. Naruto picked me up in his arms at the same time a small woman burst open the door to my room to find the bed empty and Tanoshii just shutting the window.

She opened the window. "Hey..! Stop!" We had already jumped off the roof top and started on our way to my apartment. "That's not safe for her! She needs medical attention!" But we just kept running.

* * *

"I can't believe that damn Hyuuga!" Naruto growled from across the room where he sat on the floor as I tossed the small rubber ball to him from my position on his bed. It was some time in the AM, I assumed, and Naruto had decided to keep me up to talk about the exams that had happened earlier that day, or maybe yesterday. When we broke out of the hospital, the boys dumped me at Naruto's place instead of my own and I just hadn't summoned enough strength or will power to get up and go to my room on my own and I was sure Naruto wasn't going to help. I didn't mind a sleepover, though.

"He's heartless. It infuriates me the way he classifies people in two separate groups, 'Elites' and 'Failures' and that's where you are for the rest of your life," I fumed as Naruto tossed the ball back to me and I chucked it at his head. "He just doesn't seem to realize there are countless numbers of people out there who are walking proof you're not instantaneously classified as a 'Failure' or an 'Elite' straight from birth." Naruto agreed.

He looked out his window with an expression that seemed distant. "I wonder how Prin is right now." I bit my lip, not completely comfortable with the fact Prin was in the hospital.. and I put her there.

"I'm sure she's healing up fine, Naruto," I assured him. I yawned and lazily tossed the ball back to him, which he failed to catch and got knocked in the head with due to his own yawning. "I'm beat."

"I guess we should get to bed?" Naruto suggested. He had himself a blanket and a pillow prepared in the floor next to his bed. I nodded hesitantly and climbed under the sheets of Naruto's bed. I almost didn't want to sleep, though I desperately needed it, because I had recently started having these weird nightmares. I see Hasegawa behind the flames of my burning compound, but she doesn't react no matter how loud I scream for her to run. She stands there and says, _"You could have kept me home, but you didn't. I would've stayed home if you wanted me to and mom and dad would be okay." _

Though it seemed kind of childish, I did blame myself in a way. When Hasegawa left, I was so yound and didn't understand fully the situation at hand, and simply watched her go with a hug, a kiss, and a heartfelt goodbye. I keep thinking that maybe I could have stopped her from leaving and she would've been there to protect our clan from whoever it was that set it aflame. She was such a powerful young ninja, I know she wouldn't have let whoever did it get away with it.

My eye lids began to droop lower and before I realized it, I had already drifted off to sleep.

_Fire. _

_Everywhere._

_Is this happening again? Where's Hasegawa? I don't see her.. Did she already burn up in the flames? I silently hoped so, not wanting to feel that pain again if she began to taunt me. _

_"Coward." I jumped at the sound of that voice, but when I turned around he was nowhere. "You're just a coward." I started breathing heavily, either from the smoke inhalation or my own paranoia as I turned around in circles searching for him. He was nowhere._

_"No I'm not!" I shouted to the voice though I still couldn't find who it was coming from. Whoever it was, I was pretty sure it was a he, chuckled sinisterly._

_"But you are. Cowards anger me, though I'm sure you already knew that didn't you..?" I wiped away the sweat that was beginning to form over my brow due to the heat from the fire that had engulfed the compound. There were bodies burning in the fire, I could dimly see, but I took caution not to pay too much attention to them for my own sanity. "I'm sure you know what a coward would be classified as, hm?"_

Classified? _I thought. _Does he mean..?

_"I'll give you a little hint." The voice sounded like it was behind me so I turned around fully and came face to face with him. "'Elites' or 'Failures'.."_

_"I'm.. not.." I choked on the smoke and became overcome by weakness, causing my legs to collapse under me. Neji laughed._

_"Would you rather let your guilt and self pitty eat you alive.." He activated his Byakugan. ".. or should I put you out of your misery..?" I started coughing heartily, blood beginning to come up every few coughs. My eyes were watering from the smoke and I started rubbing them, hoping that it would make them stop. When I looked up, Neji drew back he fist, two fingers pointing outwards towards me, and -_

I raised up in bed with a gasp. As I took in my surrounding, Naruto sleeping soundly on the floor, I let out a sigh. "Just.. a dream." I ran my fingers through my hair and realized I was sweating.

I layed back down and tried to go back to sleep. I turned and tried several different positions but I couldn't get comfortable and I had this weird paranoid feeling. I couldn't turn to face the wall because that would be facing away from the door and the window. What if something happened and someone came in and I didn't know untill it was too late? What if there was a fire and I couldn't get out in time? I shivered at the thought.

I looked over at Naruto and bit my lip, unsure of what to do. "Ah, screw it," I mumbled to myself, grabbing a pillow and plopping down next to Naruto in the floor.

* * *

**SLEEPOVER! FTW!**

**This was one of those fun-to-write chapters. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stick around for chapter 11!**


	11. Uncovered

**I've got some pictures drawn out of Prin and Mizukara and all I had to do is color them in Sai and Photoshop.. x_x lol. I've draw them out in sort of a timeline thing, one is a picture of them at age 9-10, another at age 13-14 (That's right now in the story BTW), one at 16-18, and the last one is 21 and up. I'm pleased with how they look right now, but that'll probably change when I've got them completely finished. :D **

**Anyway.. It's time for the disclaimer!**

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not making money off of this, nor do I own anything other than the OCs. That's just it. **

**Enjoy! Chapter 12 coming soon!**

* * *

I woke up the next morning to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. I opened my eyes only to shut them back quickly because of the suns penetrating rays that were pouring from the window. "Damn," I muttered. I turned over and came face to face with Naruto, who was drooling all over my pillow. "Yuck." I got to my feet and stretched my arms over my head, all my joints making an extremely satisfying popping noise as I did. I started towards the kitchen.

"Hnn.." Naruto groaned as he turned onto his back, his left arm falling into my path. I didn't have time to react as my foot caught on it and I fell to the ground.

"Ow!" I hissed as I grabbed my still bandaged legs and gave Naruto a killer stare. His eyes fluttered open.

"Mizu-chaaann..." he groaned, dragging on the "chan" for an unnecessary amount of time. I kicked him in the side of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

I stood up. "For being _careless_." I let out a yawned. "You need to get up. We need to visit Hinata." He slowly got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head. He smiled at me.

"I'll get dressed and we'll leave." He went over to his dresser and began to rummage through his clothes. Then something hit me.

"Naruto, what if they notice me from yesterday?" He paused momentarily before continuing to rummage through his clothes. He threw something at me.

"Wear that," he commanded. I looked down at the clothing and saw it was an orange suit that matched his almost entirely. "and this big hat. Nobody will know!" I hesitated before I slid into the orange outfit. I was satisfied with how much bigger it was, making it cover up my bandages considerably well. I tied my Hitai-ate around my neck and tied my hair up in a high bun before stuffing it in the hat. I had some in hang down in front of my eyes so it would be easier to hide behind.

"Perfect," Naruto declared as he made his way to the door. "Maybe we can visit Prin too!"

I followed him out of the apartment house and down the street. "Sounds like a plan."

We got several confused stares as we trotted down the street, I don't know if it was because of my weird clothes and the fact me and Naruto matched or the weird expression on Naruto's face, but I was uncomfortable either way. When I saw Togaru coming out of the training grounds I waved at him and he made a bee line towards us.

"Hey," he smiled.

"Hi."

You look.. Great."

I rolled my eyes. "Well it was either this or get locked back up in a hospital room all by myself." He shrugged in half agreement. "We're visiting Hinata in the hospital." He nodded.

"Neji doesn't seem to mind the attention he's getting. He hardly pays attention to the whispers or the glares he gets," Togaru said. I cocked my head to the side.

"When did you see him?" He gestured towards the training grounds he had just came from. "Well we better go before he comes out and makes Naruto blow a gasket." I poked him in the stomach. "Oh yeah, and who all made it to finals after I left?"

"Hane and Gaara." I gave him a look that said "What the fuck?" and he smiled. "Me and Kauru ended in a double elimination.. It was pretty humiliating.." He looked away, almost as if he were embarrassed. I touched the side of his face and felt him tense up before relaxing to my touch.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for your match Tog's," I apologized as I let my hand drop. He waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. It was pretty boring anyway." He started off away from us. "I'll catch you guys later." We watched him walk out of sight before setting off towards the flower shop, where we were going to get some flowers for Hinata and Lee. After we left there with a few flowers, I glanced up at Naruto for a moment and saw a look of deep concentration on his face. I couldn't contain my laugh which caused him to look at me confused.

"What are you thinking about Naruto-kun?" I asked as I poked him in the stomach again.

"Stop that! And I was just kinda thinking.." He went back into thought for a few seconds. "Do you think Hinata stares at me a lot?" I shook my head in disbelief at his clulessness. It was so cute the way he played dumb and she didn't have the guts to say more than three words to him. A little shameless, but cute.

"No." Why let a cute thing go to waste? I watched Naruto nod in understanding as I struggled to keep a straight face.

As we walked into the big building's front lobby and approached the front desk, we immediately got awkward stares. I sighed. "We're here to visit Hyuuga Hinata. What's her room number?"

"I'll check," she said, flipping through a large book full of room numbers and patient names. When I saw several names were marked out, I shivered. I hate these places. "Have I seen you before?" I jumped, thinking she was asking me, but when I looked over, Naruto was who she was looking at between glancing down at the book.

"Um, I was here for an injury a couple days ago!" he improvised, his voice slightly louder than normal, something he does when he lies. I smiled.

"Oh yes.. I thought I remembered you. Your friend is in room 303 right down that hallway and down to the right." We thanked her and made our way towards Hinata's room. Whenever the door to the hallway closed, I thumped him in the back of the head and he cursed.

"What the hell was that for?"

"How could you forget about someone possibly noticing _you_?"

He folded his hands behind his head. "It's not like you thought of it either." I rolled my eyes as we approached room 303 and momentarily paused. Naruto looked at me expectantly but when I gestured towards the door he knocked on it twice.

"Come on in," a familiar feminine voice said from the other side of the door. I went for the door knob before Naruto and watched him make an annoyed face as I let myself in. The first person I saw when I walked in was Shino who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed nonchalantly. Before I could recall Shino's voice ever being so feminine, I noticed Kurenai was seated on the bed at Hinata's side. I offered a warm smile as Naruto and I entered the room.

"We didn't know Hinata was going to have company," Naruto stated as he scratched the back of his head. I sat the flower on the side table next to her bed. It had a card in it with "Get well soon!" and our signatures etched on it.

"It's fine. She hasn't woke up yet," Kurenai explained as she pushed a lock of Hinata's hair out of her face. "She'd love to see you here." I could see Kurenai was genuinely concerned for her student as she looked down at her. Behind her red eyes I saw hurt so painful that it had to be eating at her. Hinata suddenly began coughing, blood sputtering from her lips and onto the clean sheets of the cot she was on. My hands clenched into fists as I looked over her and I could tell Naruto felt the same way.

"I hate him," I stated simply. Kurenai looked up at me clearly shocked. "for.. doing this. I hate him so much." I looked away from the helpless kunoichi, unable to bare seeing her any longer because every time I saw her, I thought of what he had said during the exams. _"You're not worthy of being a ninja. You're too kind and lack the confidence." _Then I thought of that stupid nightmare and the "failures" and "elites" he philosophised about constantly. It angered me that he was such a genius. Someone like that deserves to be a failure.

"Honestly, I myself am angered by this.. but I don't hate him." She turned her head towards the window and I thought I heard her mumble, "Not after what he's been through.." while she thought I wasn't paying attention. Naruto was abnormally silent.

"I'm going to find Lee's room and take these flowers to him," he said as he turned on his heels and left the room. I was affraid he would feel this way when he saw her. I didn't try to stop him as he shut the door behind him.

"He believes when someone is born, their destiny is ultimately decided for them. It's a two way road, one way or the other, elite or failure and you have no control over it. Once you start one way there's no turning back." I brushed my fingers across Hinata's pale skin. "Why would anyone _believe _that..?"

Kurenai looked down at the Hyuuga. "You don't know?"

I shifted my weight to my other foot. "About what..?"

"Why Neji is so.." She didn't need to finish for me to understand what she was getting at.

"I thought he was just upset about Hinata being born in the main branch while he was beneath her," I said. I pulled up one of the chairs that were against the wall and sat down directly in front of the beautiful Jonin.

"That's _partially _right, but not exactly." She shifted her eyes to the window. "When Hinata turned three, Neji was branded with the Hyuuga Main Family's juinjutsu by his uncle, or Hinata's father. All branch members have this mark as a symbol that shows they exsist only to serve the main branch. Neji's father was angered by the fact that Neji was only a servent when he had such great potential and openly showed this anger only to get punished by Hiashi, who activated the curse seal.

"At this time, Konohagakure and Kumogakure had signed a treaty, allowing Konoha to lower it's guard and give then a chance to abduct Hinata and steal the secrets of the Byakugan. Hiashi killed the man before Hinata could be abducted, and Kumogakure demanded his body as payment, or an apology, so they could still get the Byakugan from his body. Konoha would've oblidged too if it weren't for Neji's father Hizashi saying he would sacrifice himself instead, so the Byakugan wouldn't be discovered." I cut her off before she could continue.

"How could they not discover the Byakugan from Hizashi?" I asked. Kurenai chuckled.

"The curse mark seals the Byakugan away when a branch member dies and, you see, Hiashi didn't have this because he was of the Main Branch."

I felt incredibly stupid. "Oh."

She continued explaining. "Hizashi was sacrificed and Neji was there to see it happen.. What Neji fails to realize is that Hizashi was willing to sacrifice himself to protect his family, he wasn't forced to do so. So Neji has always held a grudge against Hinata and the Main Branch because of his father's death." My fists that had still been clenched tightly were suddenly loosened as the realization hit. Neji was suffering and I hadn't even noticed. I felt even stupider than before, but also I lot better knowing this. I stood up from the chair and turned to leave.

"Thank you for explaining this, Kurenai-sama." I didn't look at her as I spoke; I kept walking. "Please tell Hinata-chan when she wakes up that we dropped by."

As I closed the door behind me and made my way down the hall and into the lobby, I saw Naruto lingering near the door. With no flowers. I walked up to him.

"They wouldn't let me in to see Lee because he's still pretty unstable, but they took the flowers to his room," he said. I nodded in understanding. It hadn't occurred to me that Lee was still in critical condition. I didn't want to ask Naruto anything about it because I was sure it would only make him feel bad.

As we left the Hospital, I pulled the hat off of my head and let my hair fall across my shoulders and down my back. "How do you feel, Mizu-chan?" Naruto asked me as I fingered my straight brown hair, checking for any knots or tangles.

I stretched my arms out in front of me. "I feel pretty good. These cuts on my arms are starting to scab over already," I replied happily as we made our way down the busy street. _Before long, I'll just be one huge scab itself, _I thought with a slight laugh. I had so many cuts and scrapes, I wouldn't be surprised.

Naruto and I went to our separate apartments for the first time in several days. It felt odd not having him there to talk to, even though he was a floor above me and if I really wanted to, I could go bug him right now and vice versa. My mind drifted from my upcoming fight with Hane and then to Neji, unsurprisingly.

I didn't know what to think of him anymore. I felt like if I hated him, I should feel guilty because he's been through a lot of hard times with his family, and, no matter how messed up I might be in the future, it will probably never match up to the pain he feels. Not even the murder of my clan. Yes, murder. I was almost positive that it was no accident and I'm sure everyone in the village had abandoned that theory a long time ago. I felt like if I liked Neji, it would be in vain because he's never going to look at me as a friend or someone he could come to talk to about anything. I honestly couldn't see myself doing this with him either.

I felt myself get that burning feeling in the pit of my stomach again as I remembered that conversation we had, the last time I had seriously talked to him. Did it make me just like him if I felt bad for hating him? It'd seem kind of merciless and cruel if I didn't care about his feelings or his wellbeing, especially about something so personal. I sighed. I wasn't sure what to think anymore.

I spent the next few days training and meditating to channel my chakra, also trying to further perfect my senjutsu. If I wasn't working with my ninjutsu and taijutsu, I was perched on top of the wooden posts dead stiff in an attempt to gather Natural Energy. If one were to gather too much Natural Energy and fail to balance it out with physical and spiritual energy, you would begin to turn into a frog and eventually stone, which makes this process particularly dangerous. The only known way to reverse the process is to be hit with a special scepter during the transformation. This knocks the Natural Energy out of the body of the gatherer. However, if the transformation is already complete not even the scepter can reverse it.

I was snapped out of my concentration when I felt a drop of water fall on my nose. I opened my eyes and look up to the sky that had previously been a deep blue. Now it was an eerie grey.

"Great," I mumbed as I got to my feet and started off out of the training grounds.

"Mizu-chan!" I turned to the sound of my name and felt an incomprehensible amount of happiness when I saw her. She still had several bandages and it was clear that she was still in a decent amount of pain from the way she was more or less jogging over when she would love to just all out sprint. I closed the distance between us as I ran towards her.

"Prin-chan!" I hugged her quickly and we shared a random laugh. "How are you feeling?"

"Decent. That gash on my side is killing me, though. Thanks a lot." She smiled and I rolled my eyes. "I heard you're fight Hane.."

I nodded. "I was wondering if you could give me some details. What his fighting style is, what I need to watch out for, if he's any good at all, really." She looked slightly troubled as I said this and I started to think maybe she didn't want to help me. "Prin.. Do you want to help me..? I understand if you want to help your teammate because I don't mind training alo-"

"No, of course I'll help you! I was just thinking about Hane.. He's really good Mizu-chan. A lot harder to beat than I was." I looked staight ahead.

"What's he specialize in?"

"Genjutsu mostly, though he's pretty good in Ninjutsu too. His Taijutsu is pretty rough though, like everyone else's on the face of the earth.." She added the last part in an unintelligable sort of mumble.

"So if I work on my chakra control, do some studying, and work on my taijutsu, I'll be able to counter his Genjutsu and defeat him at his weakest points," I stated more to myself than to Prin. "Well I should probably start now. Who can I get to help me with Taijutsu? Lee's in the hospital.. He's really the only one I can think of other than.."

"No."

"Prin.. I don't think I have that much of a choice."

"But you can't! What about your social life? What guy would like a girl who seen anywhere with _him?_"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," I replied in a serious voice. We laughed to ourselves. "Well I'll see you later Prinny. Love you lots."

She waved at me as I trotted away. "Love you too!" The rain was falling harder now and I had to break into a sprint to get to back to my apartment. I'd have to talk to Tenten tomorrow and find out where I can find Might Guy and if he'd be willing to train me for exams.

* * *

I sat at the kitchen table of my apartment in a drowsy state as I sipped on my third cup of coffee. It was five o'clock in the morning and I had decided to get up and go straight to the training grounds with Togaru to get to work on my taijutsu, considering his was a great deal better than mine. I had talked to Tenten yesterday and she told me she would try to talk to Guy Sensei for me, but she didn't say anything that evening when I was expecting her to drop by and let me know. I yawned as I layed my head on the table and stared at my coffee cup with droopy eyes.

I knit my brows together when I heard a knock at the door. I got up, still in my shorts, blue t-shirt with a Konoha symbol on the back, and slippers as I went to answer it.

When I saw who was at the door I had to squint to make sure I was correct. "Tenten..?"

She laughed slightly. "Uh, did I wake you?" I took the time to take in my crazy hair and sleepy eyes.

"Oh, no.. I'm working on a few cups of coffee right now." I stepped out of the doorway. "Come on in." She stepped in and took the time to examine the blank walls, the bed that I had miraculously taken the time to make up after I woke up, and the many scrolls I had scattered across the floor.

"Do you like living alone?" she asked out of the random. I didn't look at her funny, considering I was use to random with Naruto and Prin for bestfriends.

"I'm not sure you can call it 'alone'," l laughed. "Naruto is a floor above me and Prin stays the night with me almost every other day." She giggled and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"That's cool. I'd kill to have my own little place." She offered me a warm smile as I sipped on my coffee. "Well I talked to Guy for you. He's totally for it."

I slammed my coffee cup on the table. "That's great! When do we start?"

"He'd like to see you at the usual place around seven tomorrow morning if you can wing it."

"I'll be there. Thanks so much for talking to him for me. I didn't know where to look for him outside of training," I said.

"It's no problem, really.." she replied. There was a short silence. "So why're you up at this hour, anyway? I honestly wasn't expecting to see you awake. I only came on the off chance you'd be up because I had to get up early for training anyway."

"I'm going to have Togaru help me with my Taijutsu," I told her. She smiled dreamily.

"So.." she started. "You and Togaru, hm?" I nearly choked on my coffee, causing Tenten to laugh uncontrollably.

I gave her a twisted stare. "Are you serious? We're just friends. I'm hardly interested in him." He smile faded from a teasing one to a more dazed and dreamy one. "Are you interested..?" She blinked a couple times almost as if to process the question before answering.

"Well.." she shifted her weight in her chair. "I dunno. I think he's cute and all but I don't really think he cares for me."

"Says _you_," I winked. "I have to deal with this boy talk all the time with Prin. It's Lee, it's Kiba, it's Lee, it's Kiba.." Tenten's eyes grew wide in surprise. Oops.

"She likes Lee?" she asked in a tone that said she found it hard to believe. I hesitated, but nodded in reply. "No way."

"Well, I think she's hung up on Kiba as of now. But that could've changed in the time that we've been apart." Tenten rolled her eyes playfully as she got up from her chair.

"Well I better get going."

"Me, too. If you let me get changed really quick we can walk out together." She nodded and I went to my dresser, grabbed my clothes, shrugged into them, and went out of the apartment with Tenten.

On the empty street walkway, me and Tenten walked silently for quite sometime. After I felt like the silence had gone on long enough, I spoke up.

"I don't know if I should be asking you this," I started as I looked straight ahead. I noticed Tenten looking at me curiously from the corner of my eye. "but what is your take on Neji's fight with Hinata?" She looked at the ground.

"I honestly felt almost afraid of him after I saw him, the way he looked so angry and that look in his eyes.." She shivered. "But being on the same team with him, you just kind of have to get over it and forget about it because it you don't, everything you do as a team will be awkward and maybe even a little on the verge of being defunct."

"That makes sense," I stated simply. She looked at me expectantly like I was going to say something else.

"How about you?" she asked. "What's your take on it?" I struggled to keep my nostrils from flaring.

"I hate him, to put it bluntly. I simply hate him." Tenten didn't look the slightest bit shocked or taken back. "He's egotistical, criticizing, and simply horrid. I'm sorry if that offends you, but I'd rather not lie to you and say that I like a single aspect of him because I don't." She nodded in complete understanding.

I get it. I understand why you would feel that way," she said just as we stopped outside of the training grounds. "Well I'll talk to you later. We need to hang out sometime!"

I laughed. "Definitely. See you Tenten!" I waved at her as I made my way into the training grounds and straight to where Togaru sat calmly in the grass.

**

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** Neji's POV**

I caught up with Tenten after she left the training grounds. I could tell she was uncomfortable in my presence after she had listened to her friend talk poorly of me. She offered a warm smile anyway.

"Hey Neji-kun," she greeted me in a sickeningly cheerful tone.

"Hey." It's not like I listened to their conversation on _purpose_. They were actually talking pretty loudly, and I just happened to be on my way to our training grounds, where Guy Sensei was more than likely waiting on us. Then I just happened to hide on the rooftops so I wouldn't catch their attention or interrupt their conversation. Completely innocent.

"You heard her, didn't you?" I was slightly surprised by Tenten's sudden statement but I recovered quickly.

"She just doesn't get it, the pathetic girl. It's amazing that she can comprehend anything," I replied in a sour tone as she simply smiled and shook her head. "What? Why are you shaking your head?"

"Because," she said as she looked straight at me. "you guys remind me so much of eachother."

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**Review! I'd love to know what you think.. :)**


	12. You Reap What You Sow

**So It's currently 12:00 am, or midnight if you can't tell time, with nothing to do when I suddenly remembered I had this story sitting in my computer's hard drive with nobody to read the next chappies I worked oh-so hard on. So here I am, writing a pointless a/n while I post this to my beloved subscribers and fav-ers. I appreciate the reviews and all the favs and subscribes guys, but something's missing. I'm really losing the juice that fuled my motivation to write this story. I've got up to half of chapter 15 finished, so I'll try to post the rest of those sometime in the next few days.**

**Unfortunately, if I put those up and still have no motivation to continue writing, I'm affraid this story will be put on hold. **

**Sorry guys..**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE OCs. YEAH, I'M YELLING. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?**

**Enjoy, all you lovely people. (:**

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**MIZUKARA'S POV**

I stood outside of Guy's training grounds beginning to question whether or not I should enter. Odds are when I come out I'll be nothing but I puddle of sweat and determination. If he pushed me as hard as he pushed Lee, which I wished he would but then sort of wish he wouldn't, I'd really have to work hard to get better. I wanted to be pushed to the limit because I would be getting better and stronger, but at the same time it scared me to be pushed too hard and be so close to reaching the peak of insanity. If it made me insane though, I'd still be stronger than I am now, which is all I really wish to accomplish. So, with complete confidence and determination, I raised my head up high and walked straight into the clearing.

He was punching at a wooden dummy a good distance away as I made my way toward him. I wasn't sure he knew I was there until he spoke.

"You stood outside there for a good while. Are you sure you're up to this challenge?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the training dummy.

"Absolutely," I stated simply. "If I can't be as good as Lee with your training, I can at least progress from the point I am at now, Guy Sensei." He hesitated, but turned to face me with familiar flames of "Youth" in his eyes. I'd only seen the same look from Lee a million times. My stomach dropped.

"Such youthful confidence!" he chirped as he engulfed me into a big hug. "I'm so thankful I accepted your request to teach you the art of Taijutsu! With Lee in the hospital, I can still help keep the youthful strong and alive while he is recovering." I think one of my ribs broke.

"Th-Thanks Guy Sensei," I choked as he continued to squeeze the life out of me. "I'm v-very thankful for your h-help..!" He finally released me and I fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"We clearly have much to work on," he stated as he suddenly got a great deal more serious. "Let's start with endurance!" He pulled me to my feet. "Five-hundred laps around Konoha. If you stop or slow down for even a second, then I'll add another hundred. Go!" I hesitated but started running.

I passed several confused village people as I ran quickly, with the most terified look on my face as Guy Sensei followed behind yelling, "Faster! Faster! FASTER!" and knocking over several fruit carts and other random items.

Forty-five minutes and seven hundred laps around Konoha later, we were back at the training grounds and ready to start some real training.

"Okay, that was decent, but still in need of improvement." He had his back to me as he said this and I grunted in response. I was about to say something but I was cut off when he swiftly tried to take out my legs and, considering my incredibly weak and tired legs were on the verge of immobility, I didn't dodge in time and ended up on the ground.

"Guy Sensei! What was that for?"

"I was testing your reflexes. You didn't even try to dodge that one!"

I sighed and slowly got back to my feet. It was going to be a long day.

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**Prin's POV**

I sat behind the counter with my head in my hands as I drifted into a dreamy daze. It's not my fault I'm boy crazy, or could you call it that if you're only thinking of one boy? All those feelings for Lee had disappeared long after I realized how incredibly hot Kiba was and how cute Akamaru was stuffed in his hoodie. I sighed lazily as I unknowingly stared straight ahead with the faintest hint of a smile on my face. I closed my eyes as I relaxed to a further extent and slowly drifted into a snooze.

"Hey, Prin-chan.."

"Prin.. Wake up girl!"

Pssst! Anybody home..?"

"_Damn _she's cute.." Huh? Who called me cute? Are they hot? They better be or else I'll file a restraining order of some kind stating that the ugly perv stay no closer than one-hundred yards outside of my personal space.

When I opened my eyes, though, I realized no restaining order would be filed on this sexy beast.

"Hey." I straightened up immediately at the sight of him and wiped the drool off of my cheek, whether it was from seeing him or sleeping I had no idea. "Um, what can I get for you, Kiba-kun..?"

"Huh. I don't know. What do you recommend?" Did he mean to sound so flirtatious? _No Prin. Don't even think about it, _my inner self told me. _You've got your dignity to think about. You shouldn't be flirting with boys on the job either! What would your mom say? _My parents were off on another trip to Wave Country and Mizukara was busy training with Guy, so I was running this bitch all alone. I don't know why that made me feel so pimp, but it did.

Ah screw it, he's hot. "_Well _I don't know if you want anything too hot. You probably couldn't take it." He chuckled.

"Say, hows that fever?" I arched an eye brow at the random question.

"Fever? I don't have a fever," I said in a confused tone.

"Oh. You just look hot to me." I laughed and rolled my eyes. Two could play at that game.

"Is your name Summer? 'Cause you are hot as _hell!"_

"Are you always this hot or did you just steal the sun?"

"You're ass is _so _nice. It's a shame you have to sit on it." He bursted out laughing at that one and I joined in shortly after.

"Okay, I got another one," he said. "Babe, you're so sweet, you put this place outta business."

I laughed and leaned over the counter slightly so I could kiss his cheek. He blushed slightly. "What was that for..?"

"I was trying to kiss Akamaru and I missed.. Oh well."

"You really should kiss me again."

"Well you get what you payed for," I stated simply. "Now unless you're buying something, you should get the hell out of here." He looked slightly take back by my statement, but he smirked and turned on his heel, scratching Akamaru's little head as he did. It was at that very moment that I decided to make it official.

Kiba Inuzuka will be mine.

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**Mizukara's POV**

"Kill me! Put me out of my misery!" I bellowed as I entered the bakery well after hours. Prin had decided to wait on me to get done training with Guy so we could go back to her house and hang out. I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw she was laying across the counter half asleep.

"P-Prin! What're you doing?" I asked as she raised to a sitting position, then crossing her legs.

"Got tired waiting so I layed down right her," she stated with a pat on the counter top. "and it's surprisingly comfortable." She got down off of the counter and led me back out the door, locking it as she went. When we turned around, we came face to face with a rough looking man, making both of us jump.

"Sorry. We're closed." Prin showed little feeling in her voice, though I could tell she was curious and slightly creeped out as to why this creep was standing so close to us. The man had long, shaggy black hair that was put into a low ponytail. He had several scars on his face, the most noticeable one starting at the base of his jaw and stretching all the way across his left eye and to the top of his eye brow, which was hairless where the scratch was. His clothes were ragged and dirty, and he held a half empty bottle of sake in his left hand.

"Closed, huh?" His voice was rough and low pitched. "That doesn't really matter to me." I didn't have time to react before the man had us by our throats and slammed against the side of the building. We choked for air as his grip tightened around our necks. I tried kicking him in the crotch, but my foot couldn't make it that high due to the intense pain from my earlier training.

"Let us go, freak!" I choked out only to have him slam me hard into the side of the small bakery. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head and immediately recognized the warm, wet feeling of blood dampening my hair.

"I think I'd rather not let you go just ye-" He was suddenly cut off as he received a sharp punch (or was it a kick? I couldn't tell; all it was was a blur.) to the stomach which he immediately clutched in pain, dropping his bottle of sake to the dirt. I went to grab the bottle so I could bust it across his ugly-ass head and beat the shit out of his lifeless form after I did, but he was thrown out of my view by some brown-white blur, though I could be wrong by judging such things in the darkness.

"Neji.." I looked at Prin cluelessly. "That's Neji." I turned my attention back to where the man had been drug off to and, sure enough, there stood the Hyuuga prodigy over the now dead man's body. He said nothing.

Out of sheer anger, Prin approached the body and made several hand seals before saying, "Karyuu Endan!" and then blowing a jet of fire from her mouth at the motionless body, causing it to go up in flames. Neji promptly took a step back.

He turned to me and offered a hard stare, one that made me freeze cold in place, hardly thinking of my bleeding head anymore. He didn't look angry, annoyed, or anything like he usually does; his expression was completely blank.

_Is he.. real? _I thought, as I stood there and stared back at him. _He can't be.. He's not saying something rude or mean.._

He took a step towards me and I intuitively took a step back, causing him to hesitate before continuing forward. I took another two or three steps back as he got closer, until he stood directly in front of me, the same blank look on his face.

"I.." I couldn't find the words to say to him as he reached a hand behind my head and touched the wound. I flinched at the stinging, but he kept a light touch on it anyway and, before long, the stinging turned into a tingle, and then absolutely nothing. When he pulled his hand away, my blood sticking to his palm, I immediately brought my hand to where I had felt the stinging moments ago, but there was nothing but drying blood.

He had healed me.

I still couldn't find any words to say to him as he took a calm step back away from me before turning completely around and walking away and out of view. I blinked several times and held my hand at my previously punctured head in disbelief. He had no reason to help me like that, and I could only presume he would get slight joy from seeing me suffer. He hated me. He had every right to. I'm rude to him for no reason and I have a short tolerance for any form of fake kindness, though maybe his kindness hadn't been all that fake. I hadn't ever considered the fact that my fake radar could be defunct, but then again I've never realized a single thing about me as being "defunct".

"He really cares..?" I murmured to myself questioningly, not wanting Prin to hear my question because she would more than likely say yes which, for some reason, made me incredibly uncomfortable. It made me feel bad the way he did such a nice thing, and here I've been talking so critically about him and how much I hate him when the truth is I care about him, too.

"Did you say something?" Prin asked from where she was standing over a pile of ash, bones, and burned flesh. She made a hand sign and it disappeared.

"No," I said in an almost inaudible tone. "let's just go." I started off toward Prin's home, which wasn't that far from the bakery, as she stared back at my retreating form skeptically before following. When she caught up I saw she was in deep thought, but I didn't dare ask what she was thinking.

Turned out I didn't have to. "You don't hate him." I wasn't surprised or taken back because I had expected her to say those exact words. "You can't deny it."

"I don't know Prin." I kicked at the dirt in front of me. "I honestly don't. I hate him for a lot of things, but I appreciate him for others.. and.. _In a way_ I guess I kind of.. _admire _him."

"He's a skilled ninja, noble to his clan despite his feeling towards them, and, well, he's pretty cute. So I don't blame you. Nobody does." I didn't know how to reply so I didn't. "Why do you think you have to please everyone and do everything exactly the way it has to be done? No one I know strives for perfection as hard as you do and, dammit you'll hate me for this but, you're just not even close!" Now _that _shocked me.

"You don't know what you're saying, Prin."

"I know exactly what I'm saying," she barked. "you just don't want to hear it. I don't get the way you think and I probably never will, but I know exactly what you're thinking about him."

I stepped into her path and stopped so we could look each other dead in the eyes. "Oh yeah Prin? What's that?"

She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "You'r scared, and you won't admit it. You think it's easier to hate him because he hates you, _also _untrue. Things can't be perfect _and _easy, babe. Sorry to burst your bubble."

I froze before saying, "I don't see how that makes me scared."

"You're scared because you think he hates you and if you don't hate him back then you like him... and that's scary to you." I paused and pursed my lips, looking down at Prin's shoes in deep thought. She has me down way too well. There are definitely aspects of liking him that scare me that probably shouldn't, like the fact that he might not care for me the way I care for him. I'm scared that I like him for no reason and I can't see him liking me for no reason. There was always the possibility that I was overlooking some important detail that might be a reason to like him and vice versa, but I had only thought it through five-hundred times. The possibility of missing such a crucial detail was simply illogical.

"There's not a logical reason for something like feelings," Prin said, almost as if she had read my mind. She sighed. "I get it if you don't want to come over now. I just gagged you with my 'Message of Truth' and I'm sure many parts of it hurt or were unenjoyable." I laughed but not before hugging her tightly. I appreciated her looking out for me and talking me though complicated situations even I had trouble with, and it was a blessing to have her in my life.

"How's it going with Kiba?" I asked as we entered her empty house and collapsed on her bed. We both put our hair down from its ribbons. She put on a comfortable night gown and I wore a big, old Konoha t-shirt that came just above my knees. She giggled.

"Oh he came in the bakery earlier today wanting a nice, fresh, deliciously sweet slice of Prin," she mused.

"I don't want to know."

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Guy asked as we entered the arena. He was going to join me for the first few matches before going to get Lee from the hospital and take him to watch the final rounds. After all the training with Guy Sensei I had greatly improved my Taijutsu. After a few days, Guy added weights to our training and running and I got a lot stronger. I could tell by the way people looked at me that they noticed the increase in muscle mass in my arms and legs and how much stronger I looked in all reality. Guy had made several suggestions on a healthier diet that Lee stuck to on many occasions, and I took it to heart. I haven't had ramen in almost a month.

I looked down at the weights around my ankles and then back at him. "A little."

He laughed and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be! You've got this one in the bag, Mizukara!" I smiled and looked straight ahead as we entered the arena, going to where the finalists were to stay until it began.

"Thank you so much for training me Guy-sama." I bowed. "I'm grateful of your training and all the support you've given me. I'm dedicating this match to you." I pointed a finger at him and smiled warmly, knowing very well that he would probably go all "Youthful" on me again, but at this point I couldn't care any less.

He sniffed back tears and engulfed me into a big hug. "Thank _you _for allowing me the privilege to train you! It's so amazing to see such youth in such young people!" He babbled on for several more minutes as he cried and hugged me at the same time. I reluctantly hugged him back until people started to stare.

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**Hane's POV**

"He trained her..?" I asked Kauru, who had momentarily joined me for the time being. He hadn't made it to finals, but he was allowed back with me untill the finals actually began. He looked as shocked as I was.

"That means she's been working on her taijutsu," he said. "which is incredibly bad for you. Look at those weights!" She had two leg warmers around her shins that clearly had something heavy underneath them. "She's fast, too." I shook my head.

"So what? I've still got my genjutsu." I chuckled and watched her reluctantly hug her babbling sensei. "I'll kill her."

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**Mizukara's POV**

After we had be formally introduced to the Finals and discovered the the Uchiha was late and Dosu had been mysteriously murdered, we went right ahead with the matches, the first being Naruto and Neji. Guy had left to get Lee just before the match started, leaving me all alone and completely bummed with the loneliness. I felt out of place around all the weird ninja. I stood next to Shino, who didn't seem to mind much at all. I clenched my fists together as I watched from inside the arena, out of sight of all the visitors but still able to see what was going on inside it's walls. I clenched my fists together, uncomfortable with the tension between Neji and Naruto. It was clear Neji underestimated him, but Naruto had been training with the legendary Sanin Jiraiya and learned several strong techniques.

After several seconds of sizing eachother up, Naruto threw three kunai and went straight for him. I sighed as I heard Kiba and Prin yelling unintelligable things from their seats above the arena. Neji blocked the punch by simply pushing it away, then dodging a high aimed kick as Naruto rebounded back several feet and went in for another failed punch. Then Naruto started throwing a barrage of punches only to have the pushed away with a slapping sound. After another failed punch and kick, he blew Naruto back and hit a chakra point at his shoulder.

_"Fuck.." _I murmured. Shino sighed as well.

Neji was back in fighting position, Byakugan still activated. "Do you see now? You have no way of beating me." Naruto smiled.

"Get real. I was just checking you out, that's all!" He got to his feet. "Ok, now that we're warmed up, let's get started!" He made a familiar hand sign and said, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Four Naruto clones appeared and went for a weapon from their pouches.

"No matter. You can't hide for long."

"Ha! Well we'll just see about that!" the shadow clones chorused. "Don't ever count me out!" They came at him directly, one lagging behind. Neji axpertly jumped over the first two and dodged the others, but didn't quite catch the last one in time and got a kick to the jaw. I almost gasped.

It didn't hit, but it almost did. Neji did a back flip and landed perfectly poised. "Not bad but lets see you do that again!" Two shadow clones ran at him from opposite sides, only to have him jump in the air in a corkscrew-like spin and land a pefect kick on both shadow clones, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Another two were easily dodged from behind and knocked forward in a useless attempt to catch his blind side. They also disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only one Naruto standing alone.

He smiled evilly. "You thought you could be hokage. It's absurd. These eyes show me many things. One thing they've shown me is people's limitations are set, fixed and unchangeable. Only a fool wastes his time trying to be something he'll never be." Naruto was fuming, no, _exploding _on the inside and his fists were balled at his sides and shaking in anger.

"A fool, huh?" His voice surprisingly masked his anger well. "Here we go again! Who are you to judge a person on who they can or can't be?"

"Do you think _anyone _can be a hokage? That all it takes is a little hard work?" Naurto was slightly take back by his words, but recovered quickly. "Open your eyes. Of all the Shinobi in all of the world, think of how few ever become Hokage. They were born destined to be Hokage. It's not something you become by simply trying to become. They were chosen by destiny. Each person is given his path to follow and he must follow his path _obediently _to the end. There is only one destiny we all share equally.." There was a long pause. "..Death."

Naruto clenched his fists tighter. "Yeah, so what? You can think that way if you want." He held his fist out in front of him and Neji looked at his skeptically. "People tell me I just don't know when to give up!" He made a hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The inside of the arena filled with a countless number of Naruto clones and all of them were sent Neji's way. He dodged almost all of them and ran passed them, heading straight for a single Naruto that stood stiff. He hit it it's chakra point.

"Your the one who stayed out of range for fear of me hitting your chakra points. The more the others attack, the more you stand out for holding back. Naruto let out a yelp and the other shadow clones disappeared.

_No.. _I thought. _Naruto can't be beat yet..! He just.. can't.. _

"You're the real one, aren't you?" He had an arrogant smile on his face. He stepped back. "I told you it was pointless."

"Oh yeah..?" Naruto started laughing as he looked up at the genius. "And I told _you _it was a mistake to count me out!" Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke. I gasped in disbelief.

"No way!" I shouted. Shikamaru grunted.

"But how..?" Neji was clueless as to how his plan had been foiled by the knucklehead ninja, which only made me happier. He had held one of his own clones back to lure him into a trap.. and it had worked!

Two more clones jumped from beind him and a look of disbelief crossed his face, but was quickly replaced with a look of arrogance as a blue aura built around him and threw the two Naruto's back. One disappeared and the other lay motionless on the ground.

"Did you really think you'd won?"

He got up and made more clones. "We'll see about that." The shadow clones gathered around him in a complete circle, though it was clearly a useless tactic with Neji's Byakugan activated. They were all blown back and defeated.

"This is the end," Neji said. "You're in range and you can't escape." Naruto got to his feet. "Eight trigrams, two palms!" he hit Naruto.

"Four palms!"

"Eight palms!"

"Sixteen Palms!"

_Holy shit._

"Thirty-two palms!"

My eyes were the size of saucers, I could already tell.

"Sixty-four palms!" Naruto was blown back, blood sputtering from his mouth, and several bruised already forming on his body.

The proctor stepped forward. "Looks like it's over.."

"I've now struck all sixty-four of your chakra points." I leaned my head against the metal bar, maybe a little to hard as it made a loud _Bang! _causing several of the other ninja to look my way momentarily. "You're lucky to still be breathing." Naruto struggled to raise his head from the dirt and Neji chuckled. "It must be frustrating to realize how utterly hopeless it all was, this little dream of yours. You thought you could succeed on hard work alone. Thats only an illusion."

I think I might hate him again.

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**LOL. That Prin and Kiba part was seriously fun to write. :)**

**I'm sorry to say I think I'm falling back out of my Naruto-fan phase. I do that a lot. My current obsession is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. LOL Pretty out there compaired to Naruto. :D I bet you're like "WTF? Where'd you find Modern Warfare 2 while so deeply into your Naruto-fan phase?" Answer is, my brother. He's a loser. Blame him for everything. **

**XBOX LIVE IS PIMPIN' BTW. If I like you, I might tell you my penname. ;) **

**Love you guys! Thanks for everything!**


	13. The Invasion and A Fallen Hero

Yello. :)

**Yesterday, I was hit by inspiration. Sooo I think I'll try my darn hardest to continue this story. Wish me luck!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the original characters (OCs). All canon characters (ex; Neji, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, etc.) and main plot belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)**

**Enjoy. :D**

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"How did he-?"

"That's impossible!"

"Incredible.. Simply incredible.."

"He actually beat him!"

"How?"

These were the only things I could hear from where I was standing. The second Naruto had crept out of the ground and landed a punch on the Hyuuga's jaw, everyone went bug-eyed. I had lost count of how many shadow clones Naruto had made all together during the match, but it was enough to trick Neji. Everyone looked at Naruto in disbelief as he joined us.

I started off right when I saw him. "How did you-?"

"I just did."

"When did you-?"

"Before."

"But nobody saw-!"

"Nobody payed attention." I laughed at the blonde's incredible bluntness. The next match was suppose to be Shino and Kankuro, but Kankuro forfeited, much to everyone's surprise. _He's hiding something, _I thought. _He doesn't want anyone to see his technique.._I pondered this a while longer, but my mind ramblings were cut short when Hane and I were called forward. As I walked out, I flashed Naruto and Shikamaru a thumbs up, similar to the one Naruto had given before his match. He laughed.

"Go get em' Mizu-chan!" he cheered.

I laughed lightly to myself. "He's got so much spirit," I commented vaguely. Hane snorted and I flashed him a confused glance.

"He's a demon is what he is," he stated simply. "a monstrosity that needs to be killed.." I froze dead in my tracks and felt his footsteps hesitate as well before continuing forward.

I clenched my fists at my sides and felt a great surge of hate and anger flow through me. I don't know if anyone else had heard his remark, but I'd only assume that they would be as angry as me. _Maybe he's trying to get under my skin, _I thought. _Maybe he's just trying to see how I react under great pressure or great anger. Prin did say he was pretty smart.._

"You should keep your opinions to yourself pretty boy," I snickered as I continued forward. "Not that it matters what you think anyway. Nobody would care enough to listen." He grunted in response, leaving it at that.

As we took our positions across from eachother and held a cold stare, we were given the signal to begin.

We stood stiff for several seconds, simply staring each other down and sizing each other up. I couldn't help but notice his eyes lingering on my now toned arms that were bent slightly in a fighting stance. _I might as well have fun with him, _I thought. _Maybe it'll get him worked up.._

"Like what you see?" I asked him loud enough for everyone in the arena to hear. "Or are you just staring at me because you just don't know any decent techniques to come at me with? Personally, I think it's both." I heard Naruto yell something stupid from where he stood. Hane took on a mask of confusion and a slight blush but it was quickly replaced with a familiar cold seriousness.

He threw three kunai and I dodged them all as I spread my legs into a perfect splits. He gave me a distasteful look that was soon replaced with a confused one. I smiled and did a hand spring to face him directly. Hey, I might as well freak him out with my new found acrobatic ability while I can to keep him off his gaurd.

"Come on Mizu-chan! End this one quick!" I glanced up at the crowd at the sound of his voice. Lee was standing up, still wrapped in bandages, yelling and cheering for me. I offered him a wink, though I wasn't sure he saw it.

"Konoha Gorikki Senpu!" I spun in the air and kicked Hane back in a swift motion, sending him back several feet. He held his jaw in place where I had kicked it before getting to his feat angrily.

"So you think taijutsu can beat me?" He made a hand sign. "Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu!" My eyes grew wide in shoch, but I had already been hit with the genjutsu.

It was too late.

It was normal at first, what I was seeing, almost tranquil even, but when I blinked everything changed. There was fire everywhere, and all I could smell was burning flesh and smoke. When I looked into the flames, though, I didn't see my clan members like I did in my dream before, but I saw.. my friends.. They weren't dead, though. They were screaming and yelling in misery as the flames licked at their flesh, leaving blackish red burns where they touched.

Prin's screams were piercing, and almost muffled by the sound of the other screams. She was reaching for me angrily through the flames, though her arms weren't long enough. I gasped when Naruto wrapped his arms around my neck from where he was in the flames. His face was burned terribly and his skin felt hot against the back of my neck.

"M-Mizu-chan.." he groaned painfully. "W-why won't you save us...?" I shrugged out of his arms and backed away in horror.

"No! Please! Help!" Prin begged, her voice sounding almost as if she were crying. "Don't go!" I turned away. _How the fuck do I break this? _I thought to myself. _There's.. one way. _I closed my eyes and focused my chakra. _I need to stall my chakra flow.. Just for a second!_

"Kai!" I used a genjutsu cancellation technique, unsure of how well it worked, though I could no longer feel the heat from the flames warming my skin.

I opened my eyes, and found myself on my knees, hands clutching my head agonizingly tight. I got to my feet slowly, hands falling to my sides. When I looked up at Hane his expression read complete and total shock. I smiled.

"So you think Genjutsu can beat _me_?" I asked with a slight laugh. He groaned in disbelief.

"How did you cancel it so quickly? That wasn't even two minutes!"

"Because your Genjutsu is weak!" I stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He growled and drew two kunai from his pouch as he came running at me angrily. I waited untill he was close enough and, with perfect timing, delivered a well calculated kick to his chin, sending him flying back while his kunai fell uselessly to the ground.

I grabbed the two kunai and walked calmly towards him. He was clearly finished, but I had yet to get the win I desired. I loomed over his limp form for several seconds before crouching down so he could better hear me speak. "You didn't even know the meaning of a monstrosity until you messed with me." I ruthlessly jabbed the kunai into his right shoulder, causing him so yell out in anguish as blood gushed from the wound. It wasn't hardly deep, yet he still cried out in pain. "Let me help you with that, brainless." I pulled the kunai from his shoulder and watched him clutch it in great pain as I stood fully to my feet. "That's my payback."

"Winner, Sadurobi Mizukara." I smiled as I headed back to where Naruto and Shikamaru stood stiff, awaiting my arival. I recieved several harsh stares as I took my spot next to Naruto and leaned casually against the railing.

"Harsh." Shikamaru commented.

I shrugged. "Not really.." I could feel the confused and some shameful stares aimed at me but I didn't bother to speak. Guy, who stood below us with Lee at his side, said nothing. Naruto was the only one who dared to speak.

"Mizu-chan, what did you see?" Lee glanced back at us in slight curiosity, his bushy brows furrowing.

I felt my eyes grow wide at the memory, but I regained my calm composure and shook my head. "It was nothing. Forget it."

* * *

After Shika's match, which he forfeited out of laziness, it was time for the match everyone had been waiting for. However, Sasuke still had yet to arrive and Gaara was already taking his position in the middle of the arena.

Just as they were about to call it Gaara's match, there was a sudden gust of wind, which turned into a small funnel. Leaves spun in it rapidly untill two figures appeared, one being the Uchiha everyone had been waiting for.

"Sorry we're late," said the white haired copycat ninja. "We ran into some traffic." Sasuke snorted but casually took his position across from Gaara

As soon as the match began, Sasuke threw two kunai only to have them caught by the sand that had formed into a Gaara clone of sorts. Temari shifted uneasily a few feet away. "The sheild of sand became a replication of sand," she said to herself. Just then, Sasuke took off toward Gaara, his eyes widening in fright when he saw Gaara's sand clone summon more sand toward him in an attempt to attack. He jumped skillfully into the air and threw another few weapons, only to have them tossed away like nothing.

He kicked at the sand clone causing several grains to fall to the ground. When he went for a punch, his hand got stuck in the sand near Gaara's throat and he had to smash away the clone with his opposite hand. He went for a punch at Gaara, who had yet to unfold his arms, but was blocked by a wall of sand. He disappeared and Gaara's eyes grew wide in shock.

"He's gotten faster!" I commented. "It almost impossible to even see where he's going." Naruto looked completely engulfed in the match.

Sasuke was behind Gaara at that very moment and he landed a hard punch to his left cheek, leaving a crack in his sand armour. Gaara remained crouched around his sand as he studied the Uchiha carefully.

"If you're not coming to me, I'll come to you!" the Uchiha growled just before taking off towards Gaara, the same speed put into effect. He seemed to disappear right when he got within a few feet of Gaara, then ending up behind him, and running at him while dodging more oncoming sand to deliver a well calculated kick that sent the sand nin flying in the opposite direction. When Gaara stood up, Sasuke used his incredible speed and ran in circles around him, almost as if to taunt him. He dove at him and hit him with another kick and a knee to the chest.

When Gaara was back in his feet he made a single hand sign and sand began so surround him in a sphericle shape, making Sasuke's eyes go wide before running towards him. He aimed a punch at the only open area left of Gaara as the sand began to cover him completely, but the hole had covered completely by the time he made it and several spikes were pointing towards him. His knuckles started bleeding as he jumped back to his defense.

He started forward again, throwing weapons at the sand before jumping the the opposite side and dodging the sand spikes to land a useless punch on the ball of sand.

When he realized that nothing was working on the giant ball of sand, he ran up the side of the arena and began making numerous hand signs. Naruto blinked several times in confusion.

"What the hell is he doing..?" All of a sudden, the Uchiha brought his hand down to the surface of the wall and it began to collect a powerful electrical charge, a malicious smile on his face. He brought his hand back, taking out a chunk of the wall as he did so, and started running down the face of the wall and straight for Gaara's sand barrier. He dodged more of the spikes as he came closer and landed a direct hit at the base of the barrier, some of it beginning to crumble away. The next thing I heard was absolutely horrifying.

"Blood! M-My blood!" Gaara screamed from within his sand prison, Sasuke's eyes beginning to grow larger in shape. He pulled at his arm before gathering another elecrtical charge. Overhearing Guy say something of it a second before, it's called the Chidori, which was taught to the Uchiha by Kakashi himself. It sounded like a thousand birds chirping at the same time.

Gaara screamed again, and this time Sasuke pulled his arm free, only to have a large claw follow after him.

"What _is _that..?" Guy asked in slight horror as the large claw retracted back within the sand barrier. The shell suddenly began to crack and fall away, revealing a wounded Gaara who held his shoulder defensively, blood dripping between his fingers. His eyes were angrily bloodshot and malicious looking. I shivered.

Before the fight could continue, the whole arena began to flood with feathers. I glanced at Naruto and Shikamaru, only to see them dazed and drowzy. It was then that I realized what was happening. _A genjutsu! _I thought. I made a single hand sign. "Kai.." It was too late.

I slumped to the ground in a deep sleep.

* * *

"Mizu-chan! You _have _to get up!" someone said in a panicked voice. It sounded as if they were.. _crying._"I need you! Please..!" I blinked my eyes open and saw Prin looming over me, her eyes full of tears and her face showing she was incredibly scared. When Prin was scared, I was scared.

I looked around and realized I was in the same place I remembered passing out; I was in the stands of the arena they had the finals in, but there was something incredibly wrong. Some of the people were still asleep, but the ones that were awake were screaming and running in fright, apparently from the sight on the roof of the arena. I looked back at Prin. "W-What's happening..?"

"The Hokage was killed," she stated as she sniffed back her tears. "And thats not even the worst part. Naruto is out there fighting that... _thing _by himself.." I didn't even ask. I got to my feet and let Prin lead me to the scene of the fight.

Then it hit me. _We're out of a Hokage.. _I thought. _What in the world will become of Konoha without a Hokage..?_ "Prin, why is this happening..?"

She shrugged but continued forward. "I.. I think it's an invasion. There are Sound and Sand ninja all over the place.." I caught up to her and ran in stride with her for the remainder of the short trip, not daring to look over at her.

When we got there, it seemed the horror was finally over, and everything had began to subside. I gasped when we came to Naruto, who was laying flat on the ground, chest heaving..

in a deep sleep.

Prin sighed and fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the fact that Naruto was okay and the Shukaku was gone. Sasuke jumped from the trees, followed by Sakura, who staggered slightly when she hit the ground. I steadied her, catching her off guard, but smiling sympathetically anyway. Prin got back to her feet.

"What happened Sakura?" she asked.

"Naruto somehow managed to get Gaara awake and the Shukaku just sort of crumbled.." She seemed weary and far away when she spoke. "I.. Can't believe.. Sarutobi.." She didn't need to finish as complete silence washed over everyone. We went on our way back to the village in a daze, a look of devastation and sorrow on all of our faces.

* * *

Everyone stood silently in the big cemetery dressed in black robes. I twisted the flower I was holding between my fingers as I looked up at the depressingly grey sky, feeling a drop of water fall on my face. I turned my attention back to the big memorial in front of the big crowd. I glanced at Tanoshii who stood at my right, only to get a shake of his head as he stared at the big memorial. All those ninja who died to protect us and our village were buried in front of us right now. Dead. Gone. Forever. And nobody could do anything about it.

One of the biggest reasons for mourning was the death of Sandaime Hokage, who risked his life and was probably the only reason we were still here right now. What he did to Orochimaru left him too weak to continue the invasion and forced them to retreat and fall back. We were incredibly lucky to have had a Hokage as wonderful as him.

From what I'd heard, the Sand had re-established their alliance with Konoha because Orochimaru had murdered their Kazekage and taken his position unknowingly to anyone else, meaning he had played both sides of the alliance he created. He's as sick as everyone says, and it's clear he's simply thirsty for more power.

As the crowd began to disband and we placed our flowers on the small memorial area that was set up, Prin, Tenten and I went on a calm walk while still in our block robes. Tenten and I had brought umbrellas and shared with Prin.

Tenten was the first to speak. "I wonder who they're going to get for the fifth Hokage now." She looked over at Prin and I. "I can't see anyone there except Sandaime.."

"I have no idea," I replied. Prin shrugged too. We walked another few yards until we came within sight of a small tea shop. I looked over at Prin who nodded. "Want to stop for tea, Tenten-chan?"

"Sure." We walked into the tea shop and sat down on the stools at the bar. We each got a single cup of green tea, which we sipped on silently for several minutes. I started thinking about who our next Hokage might be._ Why don't they get Hatake Kakashi? _I thought. _He's such a talented and skillful ninja.. and he's known in almost every country. He's viewed as a great leader and a tactical ninja who plays to his advantages, which aren't incredibly difficult for him to find in a fight. He'd be perfect for the job.._

I was jerked from my thoughts when I felt a tug at the back of my robe. I quickly glanced at Tenten and Prin, but they hadn't noticed. I glanced over my shoulder, believing it wouldn't be anyone important.

"Um, Mizukara-chan.." A familiar girl looking to be about seven or eight years old stood behind me with a look of slight concern and nervousness. I gasped when I realized who it was and hopped fully off of my stool so I could hug the little girl.

"Kaida-chan!" I exclaimed as I pulled away from the hug and held her at arm length. She was quite short for her age, maybe 4'9 or 4'10. Her hair was the same brown colour as mine and she had it tied back in a bun with several strands hanging down around her face making her look far more mature than she really was. She looked slightly shocked that I had just hugged her, but she smiled nonetheless.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. Where've you been? Who've you been living with?" I asked the little girl who immediately looked away from my questioning glance and a look of sorrow fell over her delicate features.

"That's actually why I'm here..." she said. "I've been staying with Jin-sama.. but she has passed away.." Her eyes began to fill with tears and I gave her another small hug. Jin was the eldest member of our clan, and an honorable one to say the least. She and her husband were greatly admired throughout the clan for their brave heroics in the 3rd Ninja World War. I hadn't heard she had passed.

"Do you need somewhere to stay Kaida-chan?" I asked her as I finally let loose of her arms and let her stand on her own.

"I do.. I was hoping I could stay with you. You're the only one of the clan that's still in Konoha." I gave her a confused glance.

"In Konoha? What do you mean?"

"You didn't hear?" she asked. I shook my head. "The majority of the surviving clan members have left Konoha enraged. They believe that it's the Hokage's fault this has happened and that if they had stronger ANBU, it wouldn't have happened." I cursed under my breath causing the young academy girl to flinch.

I turned back to my tea and noticed Prin and Tenten were now listening to our conversation. They gave me pitiful stares. "I'm ashamed to be in the same family.." Kaida said nothing, but I was sure she agreed.


	14. Finally Understanding

**God, I love you guys. :) I've got several favs on this story and to be honest I'm kind of surprised. I know there was a lack of Neji/OC stories as well as a lot of people who despise NejiTen as I do (seriously, there're WAY too many NejiTen fics. Bleh.), but I wasn't expecting this. So thanks for everything, guys. :)**

**I'm still kind of in my writer's block phase, so it might be a while before I update... Forgive me. :(**

**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own ANYTHING except the Original Characters (OCs) in this story. Everything else belongs to its well-deserved creator, Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

"I just want you to know I'm not going to babysit you, Kaida." I gave the small girl a cold stare from across the small kitchen table. She looked almost scared. "If you haven't already, you're going to have to grow up because I'm not always going to be here for you. I might be on a mission or away somewhere, and you'll have to fend for yourself." I looked at her, softening my gaze, and waited for her to respond. She simply blinked and looked towards the window.

"I'm not afraid of growing up, Mizu-chan…" She sounded slightly depressed. "I'm afraid of being alone." I bit my lip unsure of how to reply. Kaida had been living with me for a little over a week and I was just now getting the chance to sit down and talk with her seriously. I'd had a pretty tight schedule between training and work. I felt kind of guilty for not spending more time with my little cousin.

I sighed. "Well, Kaida…" I ran my fingers through my hair, "part of growing up means being alone and having the courage to be alone." She sighed. "I've felt like that before. Being alone is something I've always been afraid of, but I don't have to worry about it because I have friends and people who care about me. So do you." I smiled at her but she wasn't looking at me.

"Promise you'll never leave me alone. Not on a mission or something because I know you'll come back but…" she was dead serious, "_seriously alone_. Promise." _Don't do it,_ I thought. That's a promise you can't afford to break. What if something happens to you? Then she'll be as messed up as the Uchiha… I looked at her. She's seen so many people die; I shouldn't be surprised that she's afraid of being alone. She was waiting for me to do something. What was I supposed to say? "Oh, sorry, but I can't keep that promise. I might die or something."

I smiled. "I promise." _Oh you fucking idiot,_ I thought to myself as I knit my brows together. Now you're basically on a leash. Do you really think you can stay chained up to this place forever? I shook the thoughts away as I got to my feet and made my way to Ibaraka's. I looked at Kaida as I left and she offered a warm smile.

You don't know what you just did. You're doomed.

* * *

"Why would that be such a difficult promise to keep?" Prin asked as she got a few treats from the oven. "Do you plan on leaving or something..?" She sat the tray of sweets on the counter and put a hand on her hip while she offered me a stern stare. I shrugged.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I don't want to be stuck here forever. I don't like knowing I'm stuck here forever, anyway. I don't want to stay here forever just because of Kaida's insecurities..."

"Well she's been through a lot," Prin said. "She's witnessed it all firsthand, so naturally she's a little bit scared. You weren't at home when it happened, so it's not as difficult for you." I bit my lip. She had a point.

I sighed as we made our way out of the kitchen and back behind the counter. "I swear, sometimes you're so stupid and other times you sound like one of the smartest people I know." She laughed out loud, causing several people to turn their heads. It sounded like beautifully orchestrated music had just drifted from her lips. I hated when she did stuff like that and only further inadvertently acknowledged how plain I was in comparison.

"Well I'm only smart in a couple subjects: love, feelings, and you." I rolled my eyes. This much was true, but partly because I hardly knew any of those.

After a few hours of silence I started to get bored. Prin stayed back in the kitchen and continued to bake with her mother, leaving me to run the counter alone. I sighed and closed my eyes as I propped my head in my hands and leaned all of my weight onto my elbows.

"Nyah, _Mizu-chan_!" I blinked my eyes open when I heard the familiar voice. Naruto had his face inches from mine, his baby blue eyes giddy and full of passion, just like always. I surprised him by grabbing both sides of his face and giving him a sloppy kiss on the forehead.

"What do you want, Naruto-kun?" I asked him as I offered a warm smile, which he returned. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Nothin'. I just thought I'd tell you and Prin I'm going to be gone for a while." I cocked my head to the side.

"Where are you going?" I asked in mock alarm as I grabbed him roughly by his shoulders. "You can't leave me Naruto! What about the baby?" I started shaking him by his shoulders as he offered me a shocked expression before booming with laughter. Several people gave us bug eyed looks, including the man who stood behind him. I stopped shaking Naruto, but held a firm grip on his shoulders as I examined the old guy. He had familiar white, long, spiky hair and he looked like he could use a little sleep. I searched my mind for a name to pin him with.

"Oh, that's the pervy sage." I arched an eyebrow at Naruto. "We're going to find Lady Tsunade to see if she'll be the new Hokage." I blinked at Naruto and looked back and forth from him to the old man. _Lady Tsunade…_ I thought. _That sounds familiar. And that man.. I know I've seen him somewhere_.

"Oh! You're one of the Sannin," I said in discovery. "Jeez Naruto, why don't you show some respect." Naruto gave me a confused look but then burst out laughing yet again. The Sage let out an exasperated sigh and Prin came out of the kitchen.

"Show him respect? Yeah right! That's never gonna happen!" He continued laughing until eventually it faded to a chuckle. Prin crossed her arms.

"What's going on?" She asked skeptically. "And why does it concern the baby..?" I laughed.

"Naruto's leaving us again. Him and The Sannin are going to find our next Hokage." Prin blinked a few times, processing the information, then smiled and leaned over the counter to look Naruto in the eyes.

"Be good." She pinched his cheek and he yelped. "Oh, and I'll give you some sweets to take with you." She grabbed a sack from under the counter and went straight down the display racks, daintily plucking random treats from their spots on the small shelves. Several browsing customers watched her with confused eyes as she grabbed a few sticks of kushidango, some rice balls, daifukus, some yokan squares, and a container of azuki shiratama. Naruto smiled big and snatched the bag from her, his mouth watering from the delicious smell.

"You better get out of here before my mom see's that," she warned. "Be careful guys! And good luck." They exited the bakery hastily. Naruto has witnessed firsthand just how crazy Prin's mom can get when it comes to discounts and free treats. She's caught us red handed stuffing our faces in the back of the kitchen. Me and Prin were so terrified, we started doing our secret munchies out back where nobody could see us.

Prin and I leaned against the counter and watched Naruto and the Sage until they were completely out of sight. She leaned over to me. "I really hope he doesn't do something stupid." I rolled my eyes.

"You know he will. He always does." She shrugged and we shared a laugh.

"That's what we have in common. That's why we love him." I couldn't help but agree. Prin started to go into the kitchen but her mother came through the doors first, her arms full of pastries and treats on big trays. When she saw the empty display counters, her eyes grew wide.

"What in the world happened to all the sweets?" she asked as she began to restock the yokan and kushidango. I looked at Prin, unsure of how to answer.

"Oh, people were practically busting down the walls trying to buy stuff," she said, throwing her arms in the air for emphasis. "They were pretty much throwing their money at me. It took Mizukara and me both to take all the orders." Her mother looked at her skeptically but went back into the kitchen to bake, not caring enough to question her. Prin gave me a high five.

"Because that's how I roll," she sniggered as she made her way back into the kitchen, a smirk of complete arrogance on her face.

* * *

"I don't think I can…" I told Juro Sensei, who rubbed his temples in frustration. "I'm sorry."

"It's a simple mission, Mizukara. Why must you turn it down so easily? Don't you want to consider it?" Juro's patience was drawing thinner and thinner by the second. He'd been pretty upset with me ever since the exam finals, I guess because of my ruthless and tactless actions, though I'd have to say I feel pretty bad with myself about it too. That match with Hane was pretty insulting to him. He definitely wasn't happy with my vengeful shoulder stab at the end either, which I really should apologize to Hane for.

"It's really hard for me to turn it down…" I couldn't look into his eyes, so I chose to look at a twig that was at Tanoshii's feet. He and Togaru were standing awkwardly in the middle of the training grounds a few feet behind Juro Sensei, within hearing range, waiting for him to dismiss training for today. "I really want to do this mission but I just can't."

"Why?" He asked, his calmness shocking me visibly.

"I sort of ran into a relative this past week. She's eight and she's living with me now. She doesn't have anyone and I don't think she's ready to be left alone again. Not yet." His expression softened considerably and I let out a breath of air that I hadn't noticed I'd been holding. Juro Sensei turned to Tanoshii and Togaru.

"Alright guys. Mizukara can't attend this mission, which puts you at a disadvantage." He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. I squirmed in his gaze. "Who would you choose to take her place? Work it out and I'll see what I can do. You're dismissed." He was gone in a puff of smoke, leaving only me, Tanoshii, and Togaru in the clearing. I walked over and joined them.

"I'm going to say Shino or Shikamaru," Togaru stated.

"Hm, I'd put Prin or Kiba out there. Kiba is a good tracker, and Prin's pretty good too." They turned their attention to me and I felt uncomfortable under their stare for some reason.

"Neji," I said. "He's perfect." Tanoshii gave me a twisted look. "For my spot, I mean." Togaru looked away, they faintest hint of a scowl on his face while Tanoshii simply smiled slyly.

"Neji and Mizu-chan..." I felt my face heat up. "Are you guys together? Have you kissed yet?" Tanoshii was eating this up.

"Shut up Tanoshii. That's not funny," I told him as I looked away, trying to hide my blushing face. He laughed.

"Smoochy, smoochy, kissy, kissy." He started making kissing noises. "You think he's oh so perfect!"

"Tanoshii!" I shouted.

"Muah, Neji and Mizukara sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-!" He was cut off while I was still trying to hide my blushing face and I snapped my head in his direction, but he wasn't there. Neither was Togaru. I got to my feet and glanced frantically from one direction to another before my eyes scanned over them both.

"She said shut up." Togaru's voice was menacing and full of hate. He had a kunai to the brown-headed boy's throat and he was clearly in pain, I guess from being smashed into the tree he was pinned against. "You should apologize, dumbass." He kneed him roughly in the stomach and Tanoshii let out a yelp.

"S-sorry!" I dashed over to the two and shoved Togaru away. Tanoshii slid down the base of the tree clutching his stomach. I knelt down to his level and put a hand behind his head. Blood.

"What was that about?" I asked Togaru who glared daggers at his injured teammate. "That was completely uncalled for!"

"I thought he was upsetting you," he replied, his eyes softening when they shifted to me. "I'm sorry, I just…" I shook my head as I glanced back over Tanoshii's injuries.

He snorted and turned his back to us. "Whatever. Neji's fine for your position. Whatever makes you happy." He was out of sight before I could react, the sour tone of his voice still echoing through my head. _That was just weird_, I thought. I got to my feet and held my hand out for Tanoshii.

"Um... Come on. I'll take you to my apartment and get you patched up." He grabbed my hand and slowly got to his feet. He clutched his midsection the whole way, but he walked on his own.

When we got to my apartment, I went straight to my desk and grabbed some gauze from one of the drawers, walking past Kaida as if she weren't even there.

"Is this the kid?" he asked, his eyes on Kaida. She looked up at him in horror as he clutched the back of his head while blood flowed freely, some of it smeared on his face. All the same, he had a big smile on his face. "Just call me Uncle Tanoshii." She blinked at him in shock. I laughed.

"Don't worry about him Kaida-chan," I told her as I wrapped the thin medical tape around Tanoshii's skull. "He's harmless." Her shocked expression changed to one of curiosity and slight admiration as she craned her neck to look up at Tanoshii, who towered over her greatly. Tanoshii and I laughed.

When I finished wrapping him up, he turned to me. "Thanks Mizukara-chan."

"You're welcome. I really don't understand what possessed him to do that." I folded my arms across my chest. "You were just joking and he knew that... No matter how annoying you were being" He smiled cheekily, but soon got serious again.

"I'm pretty sure I know why," he replied, "and I'm surprised you don't."

"Well what are you thinking?" He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"It's right under your nose. You always miss the blatantly obvious details."

I groaned and stomped into the kitchen area. "Why do you and Prin have to get all psychological all the time? It makes me feel like you guys are smarter than me. I don't like it."

"It's frustrating to tell someone something so obvious that they're missing," he said. "But I guess I'll tell you." He paused, causing me to lean over in anticipation. "Well Tog's is obviously jealous."

"He's obviously jealous. I'm obviously missing something. I'm obviously an idiot. Jeez, I've heard that word way too many times lately..." I ran my fingers through my hair before remembering his statement. "Oh, uh, why is he jealous..?" He groaned. "What? I'm in the dark here."

"He likes you and he doesn't like the fact that you prefer Neji." I blinked in confusion. "It's no secret you and Neji have been together on several occasions, coincidentally or not. He's getting a few ideas and, from what I can tell, I'm pretty sure he's not the only one." I gave him a twisted glare and made a mental note to torture more information out of him later.

"He's getting ideas, like…" I swallowed hard, "like he thinks me and Neji are..."

"Now you're catchin' on!" he chirped. "I am seriously surprised you didn't catch on to Tog's. I mean, for a little while I kind of thought you were into him too..."

"Me?" I snorted. "No way. I've never thought of him as anything more than a teammate or a good friend."

Tanoshii gave me a confused look. "So you were just leading him on?"

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about! If I did, it wasn't on purpose! I'm completely new to this news anyway!" I threw my arms up in the air and Tanoshii just laughed.

"Relax, I was just playing." I punched him on the arm. "I'm getting out of here before I get into some real trouble though. See ya later." He made his way to the door and paused in the doorway. "And don't think about it too much. You're head'll probably explode." He winked and shut the door while I just rolled my eyes.

_Pathetic,_ I thought_. I'm completely, incredibly, unquestionably, pathetic._

* * *

"It was really awkward," I said as I took in a deep breath of fresh air. Prin and I were on top of the Hokage monument chattering away like usual, only this time without Naruto. Of course, this only added to the awkwardness of the situation. Naruto was always capable of making any situation comfortable and laughable, but without him everything was just too serious.

"I'd imagine it would be. It's almost hard to believe how clueless you are about boys."

"Clueless..?"

"Annoyingly so."

"Yeah… I know." I laid down on my back and let the sun warm my skin. Right now, I didn't care about boys. I just wanted to be clear of irrational thought and my head to stop pounding from the constant spinning of the gears in my head. Even when I was fighting I couldn't recall thinking as much as I had lately. My mind was always racing and it was always about the lavender-eyed Hyuuga prodigy.

"What was Neji like?" Prin asked as she joined me on the rocky ground. I shrugged.

"He seemed all business, being on a mission and all… He was pretty much avoiding me. I don't know why." Prin shrugged in response and we grew again silent.

I'd decided to go to the gates so I could watch my teammates leave for their mission. It would more than likely take a little over a week for them to complete it, and besides that, I wanted to see if Togaru would apologize for the way he acted. However, Neji seemed like he just wanted to keep to himself, and Togaru refused to look at me no matter how hard I tried to catch his gaze. Needless to say, Tanoshii and I felt pretty awkward.

"You're in a pretty weird situation this time, so I guess you have a reason to be confused," Prin stated out of the blue. I shrugged.

"My life is nothing but weird anymore. It's messed up."

"I dunno," Prin said. "I think it's pretty cool to have a weird life. It's unpredictable and fun… I'd kill for one of those." We shared a laugh.

**Hooray for uneventful chapters! :O So much fun!**

**So Togaru is jealous... Random, but I thought I'd add a little more drama to this story to spice it up a little more. Let me know what you think so far, my reviews are way out of date now. Not that I don't appreciate them all the same, but still I'd appreciate some feedback on what I've done so far.**

**Thanks for the favs and stuff! More to come!**


	15. The Pawn

**Holy. Crap. I'm such a hoefaced douche bag.**

**I can't believe I have let this story sit and rot for as long as I have. It's not that I have forgotten it, it's just that I haven't been motivated to continue with it. I apologize... I've been working on some original stories that I'm thinking of maybe uploading to Fiction Press in the future. (: I promise I will continue with this story, however. It just might take a little more time to add chapters.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NOTHIN' BUT THE OC'S IN THE HOE. DA REST IS MASASHI KISHIMOTO'S, BOIIIII.**

****EDIT****

**So a few weeks ago, me and my mom were painting my room and fixing it up and stuff. My mom was messing with this shelf and was oblivious to the fact that my lap top was RIGHT BELOW THE SHELF so it fell and busted the screen really bad. :( We've got to get it fixed sometime after Christmas (unless she got me one for Christmas like I asked for 8D). So sadly, it will be, er, a little longer for the next update... -_- I'm sorry guys...**

**I wish to thank you for the amazing reviews. (: I greatly appreciate them.**

* * *

"Hey, how are these ones?" Kaida asked as she showed me her arm full of peaches. I laughed and plucked two from her stash.

"We don't need that many peaches," I told her, as I put the two peaches away in the basket I had hung on my arm. Kaida shrugged, an embarrassed look on her face. This was our first time going shopping together, and she was reluctant to grab anything because when she did, I had to tell her why we couldn't buy said item/items and she'd feel clumsy. It was early in the morning and I had drug her out with me when I got back from training with Gai even earlier that morning. I never understood why it was so important to train in the morning. It seems like I could cooperate better in the afternoon or evening.

"Do we need any apples?" she asked me, dragging me out of my pointless daydream. I smiled down at her.

"Sure, go grab me one or two." She ran over to the small fruit cart a few feet away. I turned to go back towards one of the orange carts and bumped right into someone, knocking several of the fruits from my basket.

"I'm sorry," I apologized as I bent down to grab the escaping fruit. The other person bent down as well, and I realized the person was Tenten. "Hey Tenten!"

"Oh, hey Mizukara! Fancy meeting you here," she smiled warmly as we got back to our feet and brushed the dirt from our clothes. "Have you heard about the mission?" I let out a sigh.

"Of course not. I always hear these things from someone else. I'm at the very bottom of the Konoha grape vine." We laughed.

"Um, well, they finally got back this morning and the mission was a success, but..." She let out a sigh. "Tanoshii was injured." I blinked several times, evaluating the data in my head as slowly as possible.

"Bad?"

"Not bad, but not very good either. He got a couple kunai to the stomach and one to the chest." I gasped. "But it wasn't life threatening! They said he'll be fine." I sighed and hung my head.

"This is my fault," I said as I stared at the fruit in my basket. I could feel Tenten giving me a twisted stare even though I wasn't looking at her.

"No offense Mizukara, but that's really stupid." I looked up at her surprised. "Why would you blame yourself for this? You weren't even there. You couldn't stop anything." I sighed.

"You don't understand, Tenten." I gave the market clerk my payment and started out of the market with Kaida. "If I would've been there for my team, that wouldn't have happened."

"You don't know that, Mizu-chan!" I ignored her as I continued back to the apartment holding Kaida's hand.

I wish I could explain it to Tenten, what happened, why it really was my fault. Then she would understand and agree with me. I sensed Kaida was looking at me and when I swiftly jerked my head in her direction she look away even quicker. I snorted a laugh.

"Why so curious?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"No reason," she replied casually. I brushed it off with a mental shrug of my own.

When we got back to the apartment, I decided to leave Kaida there and go check on Tanoshii. I didn't like leaving her alone, but as long as she was living with me she best be getting used to it. She didn't seem to be as bothered by it as she used to; I guessed it was probably safe to go on missions now. I told her she could go find Hanabi if she wished. She lit up like the Konoha Festival.

As I stepped out of my apartment and shut the door behind me, I glanced down the hallway. I missed Naruto already. By now, he would usually be knocking down my door and we'd be running to find Prin and we'd go find something to do together. I sighed in contentment.

I shuffled my feet lazily as I began down the street towards Ibaraka's. Gai would beat my ass if he saw me slouching as I was. When I reached the bakery I found it mostly empty, not a soul around. Even Prin was not behind the counter where she usually was. _That's odd_, I thought. Just then, Prin's mother flew in from the kitchen. She was startled to see me, but regained her composure.

"Oh, hi Mizukara," she greeted me. "Prin and her team had an emergency training session. She won't be done until later this evening." I frowned. "Emergency training session"? It sounded like something Prin would use on her parents to get out of work for the day, but I wouldn't put it past her sensei either.

I brought my attention back to Prin's mother, who's perfect crystal blue eyes were fixed on me. "Oh... Thanks. When she gets in, can you tell her to come meet me at Tanoshii-kun's?"

"Of course." I gave her my thanks and left for Tanoshii's compound. I hadn't been to Tanoshii's place since he invited me and Togaru three years back; I'd almost forgotten the location. Thankfully, I just had to follow the direction he usually went after we trained.

As I stood at his door, I hesitated on whether or not to knock. What if he's busy or has someone over? What if Togaru or Neji is in there? I swallowed a gulp of fear and knocked. It slip open almost instantly and, to my complete shock, there stood Togaru. I was screaming on the inside. Maybe it wouldn't be so awkward after all, I thought. He doesn't know that I know he likes me.

He offered a faint smile. "Hey."

"Hey... Can I come in?" He didn't reply; he just held the door open for me to walk through. The first thing I saw was Neji leaned against the eastern wall in the shadows, but I didn't hesitate, remembering the reason I was there in the first place. Tanoshii was sat up in his bed without a shirt on and almost his entire top half was bandaged and, in several places, bled through. I crossed the way between us and bent down to his level. He couldn't move, so he just smiled and looked at me with the same childish gleam in his eyes.

"I'm so, so, so fucking sorry." I choked slightly and the childish gleam in his eyes faded to something of shock and sadness. "This is my fault and you know why..." I threw my arms around his neck and he let out an "oof!" sound at the impact as our chests collided together. I pulled away instantly fearing I had aggravated his wounds and instantly regretting my actions.

"You weren't there, Mizu-chan. How the hell is this your fault?" He gestured toward his mangled abdomen, and his voice was raspy. It made me feel even worse. Had I known this trip was going to have this kind of effect on me, I wouldn't have come to see him.

_Oh who are you kidding? You still would've come._

Togaru stood behind me curiously and I stood up straight. "That is why this is my fault! I wasn't there and I could've helped!"

"That doesn't even make sense Mizukara..." Hearing his voice again made tears spill over. "Stop crying... please..."

"You were a pawn, deflecting my insecurities so I wouldn't have to face them," I explained, refraining myself from breaking down into tears again. "It distracted you. It distracted all of you." I glanced at Neji and Togaru who looked away.

"I was never in danger of dying, Mizu-chan." He looked at me with a slight smirk. "You know that. Hell, if we gotta blame someone, we gotta blame me. It was my laziness that prevented me from moving fast enough to dodge them." I shook my head prepared to protest, but was cut off.

"It was my fault." I looked at Togaru, confused. "The kunai came from my side. The hostile ninja were in my area, therefore it was my responsibility to take care of them." He looked down as if completely defeated. "I didn't even sense them." He gestured towards Neji. "He was the only one who did... but even he wasn't quick enough to deflect them before they hit Tanoshii." Neji said nothing; he just stared me down with a look of concern.

"Is it weird to say I wish Naruto were here?" I looked at Tanoshii, not acknowledging anything the other two boys had said at all. "Is it weird to think that he would know what to say, what to do to make you feel better?" Tanoshii smiled.

"If you want me to feel better," I listened carefully, "then stop blaming yourself." I contemplated that for several seconds, unsure of if it were possible or not.

I decided to forget it. Forget what happened at the park, forget the mission. Forget Tanoshii's injuries and the pain it caused me and him both. Forget Togaru and his feelings for me. Forget Kaida's insecurities. Forget my insecurities. I just forgot.

I guess the next thing to do is forgive.

* * *

Tanoshii had finally recovered fully and made it back to training with me and Togaru. Though it had been pretty epic doing just one-on-one shit for the past few weeks, I was incredibly happy to have him back. I'd patched things up with Togaru, and we decided what happened on the mission was in the past and neither of us would blame anyone. I didn't tell him I knew he liked me, but I told him I wanted to be normal, un-awkward teammates again and I'm pretty sure he liked it better that way anyway.

I went to the hokage monument after training to work yet again on my chakra and natural energy control. I didn't invite Prin, or even acknowledge to anyone I was here at all; it was just me. I even told Kaida I was not going to be home until later because we were training late. Knowing that I was alone, surrounded by nothing but nature and all it had to offer, I grew calmer and my focus grew stronger.

I focused my chakra outward and my natural energy inward, suppressing it considerably. I then reversed the technique and suppressed my chakra and focused my natural energy outward. This was much easier, considering my natural energy was slightly stronger than my chakra and harder to suppress. Suppressing them both, however had grown more difficult with the increase in power of both energies. I knit my brows together and tried suppressing them at the same time. I felt the natural energy retreat back into my body, but when I tried to focus it to my core where I already had my chakra suppressed, I became overwhelmed and my head began pulsating. I let out a yelp and released the energies, grabbing my head in anguish.

I fell to my back and tried to relax so the pain would escape me, but the scorching heat the sun was radiating made this slightly difficult. Sweat beaded on my forehead and ran down my face. Opening my eyes hurt my head more, but it soon grew bearable and I opened them fully, only to find my vision blurred. Even though I was in this defenseless state, I could still feel the Hyuuga's chakra. It was only recognizable because it was faint and somewhat light, easy to underestimate. I'd felt it so many times however, it'd become easier for me to detect.

"You'll get it eventually, Mizukara-chan." I sat up and cleared my eyes. He had a blank expression on his face as he sat a few feet to my left. I looked at him curiously.

"I know." I replied. "I thought you would be busy training right now." I tried to determine the time from the position of the sun. It was just about midday.

He grew serious. "I came to tell you I'm sorry," I arched a brow, "for what happened to Tanoshii." Thinking again about what it was like when I visited Tanoshii those weeks ago, the memory hit me like a physical blow. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I knit my brows together.

I wanted to say it wasn't his fault because it truthfully wasn't. Nobody was to blame but me. I wanted to protest, but I refrained. "You're forgiven... Just forget about it. It never happened." I could tell this was just enough to satisfy him. I guessed he wanted to forget it as much as I did.

"I also wanted to ask you to spar." I looked at him nonchalantly over my shoulder and his expression was hard and serious.

I looked away. "I'm busy, Neji-kun." He flinched.

"O-Oh..." He started to his feet and I grabbed his hand.

"I'm kidding. Help me up." He pulled me to my feet so quickly I thought he was going to throw me all the way to mist country. He offered a smirk.

"I've been training." I could feel his warm breath on my face we were so close, and I imagined that one stormy evening we were here. I glanced over his shoulder at the ledge he had pinned me to and, by the way his smile faltered, I guessed he had discovered what I had thought of. Before he had a chance to make it awkward, I stepped back and put both feet on the edge of the hokage monument, hanging on only by the chakra I had focused to my feet.

"So have I." I pushed off of the ledge and the last thing I saw was a look of shock on the Hyuuga's face. I shouted, "My training grounds! Meet me there!" As I descended the several hundred feet to Konoha below, I focused my chakra to the front of my body, the direction that was facing downward, and my fall slowed slightly enough for me to land poised on top of Konoha's hospital.

I was at my training grounds in a matter of minutes and, another few minutes later, Neji showed up. He didn't shoot me any dirty looks; he was, like usual, all business.

As we got into fighting stance, I noticed a smile start to form on his face. "You don't seem worried about using your chakra," he stated. I had used some of my chakra for the hell of it which really wasn't all that smart of me. I shrugged.

"I don't worry much about my chakra since I have natural energy so well trained throughout my body. I depend more on it then I do chakra..." I whipped a strand of hair from my eyes. "But you probably already knew that." He blinked a few times but shook his head as if to clear it. He stiffened his fighting stance.

I got into my stance. "Your g-" He hurled three kunai at me. Shocked at first, I hesitated before ducking under them all.

"So you were looking for the element of surprise," I mused. I looked over my head where I knew he was hiding in a nearby tree. "Needs work." I pounced for the branch but he had already dived back down. I shrugged and made two shadow clones, sending one downward.

"Stay here," I whispered to the other. Maybe I can trick him again, I thought. If not, at least test him. Maybe he has trained his focus, maybe he won't make that mistake again. I better suppress my chakra... As I snuck beyond the boundaries of our battle, I suppressed my chakra to nothing. If he couldn't sense my chakra, he'd never find me.

I bounded through the forest, dodging thick leaves and branches all the way. After several minutes of this I thought I had actually lost him. _This can't be it_, I thought. _He's got to find a way to get to me... He always does._ I slowed, believing maybe he was just behind me a ways and needed to catch up.

"Gah!" I turned my head to the sound of the cry and when I saw it, I was too surprised to move in time. I thought quickly.

"Raigeki no Yoroi!" I made a hand sign quickly, but I was unsure of my timing and if I were quick enough. I felt a sharp pain between my shoulders and I felt my chakra lightning blow me and him both backwards at the sudden impact. As I spiraled downward from the canopy, I couldn't think of anything to do to cushion the fall. So I just fell.

I hit the ground hard, tasted dirt and blood. However, it felt like a pinch compared to the impact from before. My whole back, my spine, was throbbing and I could feel something was wrong. My lightning armor was still activated, though it was weaker. I held my hands in front of my face and stretched my fingers. Electricity sparked between my finger tips. It was much, much weaker, but it was still there.

My chakra flow... I studied my hand further. _It isn't stalled... could he have...?_ I looked up weakly into the canopy and saw a large cloud of smoke. The impact had been so sudden and strong, it had caused some sort of small explosion. I could see nearby tree trunks were scorched.

I let my head fall to the left and I saw he was laying not far from me, looking directly at me. His body gave off smoke like he had just been burned. His clothes were torn in spots. He was clearly in better shape than I was however, seeing as he could still move if he wanted to.

"How did you do it?" I asked him, my voice proving further just how weak I felt. Then I remembered him coming up on me on top of the monument, how he had known I was suppressing my natural energy.

"You'll get it eventually, Mizukara-chan."

"How did you know...?" I elaborated. He looked at me blankly.

"I told you," he replied. "I've been training."

I looked at him in shock. "You sensed my natural energy. I forgot to suppress it... I was a sitting duck." If I could have moved, I would have slapped myself.

"Indeed you were." His blank expression turned to one of exasperation. "But you still think and act much faster than I. In my eyes, I have still failed."

I snorted. "We both failed. I shocked the hell out of you, you stalled my natural energy flow and pretty much immobilized me in the process. Which I still don't understand." He had been using his Bakugan, but I didn't think even it could find a way to stall natural energy. I stalled my chakra and let my armor fade. I was vulnerable.

I watched as he stood and made his way to me. I raised myself to a sitting position and tried to ignore the pain that shot up my spine. It felt like a pain that would fade as long as I stayed immobile for a few minutes, so I just sat there. He plopped down beside me, to my surprise.

"We shouldn't do this anymore," I told him. I felt his eye on me, curious. "I'm not afraid of you, if that is what you believe. But I think we are too matched in strength and mind to get anything out of a fight with each other besides pointless injuries. Maybe when we learn the meaning of 'friendly competition' we can try again." He chuckled and we grew silent. The silence was odd and uncomfortable for me, but he seemed completely calm.

I watched him as he reached both hands behind his head, as if he were taking off his hitai-ate. He grabbed the metal plate and pulled it from his head.

"What are you doing?" He began unwrapping some cloth he had wrapped around his forehead. I knew what he was doing, I was just shocked.

When he had everything unwrapped he hung his head low for a few seconds, then turned to look at me. I stared at the symbol for a long time, and he just watched my eyes coldly. I wanted to touch it, for some reason.

When I gathered myself I looked him in the eyes. "Why are you showing me this..?"

His eyes were hard and cold as he spoke. He leaned in closely. "You understand a lot of things. You understand what this means." He pointed at the symbol. "You understand why it is there." I nodded, agreeing with him, but stayed silent. "You understand why it hurts me.

"I explained everything to Naruto during the exams so I'm sure you know most everything. This is going to sound... ridiculous, but... our battles, they make it seem as if I'm not the inferior branch family slave that I am. You present me with a challenge to face that I cannot turn away from. Our spars are more than just spars; we fight in synchronization... It's nothing I've ever felt before. We fight to win. When we fight I almost forget about this... curse." He grew silent and I looked at him thoughtfully.

"You're not some branch slave, Neji-kun. Me and you - and you've said this yourself so don't even try to deny it - are two of the best ninja in Konoha. A 'branch slave' doesn't have your potential," I explained, brushing a strand of hair from my eyes. "I do enjoy this, though. I guess we can keep beating the hell out of each other. If you want to, I mean." I nudged him with my elbow and his skin was still warm from the shock.

We slowly got to our feet and stretched our joints out. I was thankful the pain in my back was nearly gone. I watched the Hyuuga as he prepared to put his hitai-ate back on his forhead. "Just one more thing though." he paused and I stepped closer to him, almost nose to nose. I brought two fingers up to the curse mark. "Don't let this mark tell you where your destiny lies." He was about to say something but I grabbed both sides of his head and kissed the mark on his forehead. He was completely silent as I turned and made my way back to Konoha.


	16. Spineless

**Bahahaha! Chapter 16 is up and ready for your reading pleasures. :) I'm happy to say I'm really motivated to write right now and glad that I've got my brother for help with research and all of the boring shizz. I'm going to finish this and start writing a Shippuden sequel... It's hard to estimate how many chapters we have left as of right now... Just know that it is likely to start winding down sometime soon. **

**Also, I'm going to be brushing up on some things, getting some lost knowledge back up in the ole' noodle so the next chapter may be a little while. I know I've said that maybe 5 times now, but I'm just not as smart as I was months ago when it comes to Naruto. With my brother's help now, I'm hoping to come up with some individual Kekkei Genkai for my OCs because I know I've not really mentioned much about their clan or their backgrounds. Most of that is because I haven't come up with it yet... ^^' Anyway, on with the disclaimer!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING except the OCs in this fanfiction. The rest belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. (:**

****Ch.16 is Dedicated to Clarissa Avila who very kindly reviewed and made me feel all fuzzy inside. Thanks hon!**

****EDIT****

**lol I forgot to mention I got a brand spankin new laptop. (: But that isn't the reason for this edit;; **

**Like I mentioned several chapters back, I had Prin and Mizukara drawn out and just needed to get them colored and posted on my profile. Well I finally got off my butt and did that. xD So you can find the links on my profile that will take you to the pictures on my photobucket account. (: They're pretty plain because I rushed getting them scanned and posted, and the coloring wasn't rushed it's just naturally shitty. ROFLMAO. :) I'm going to get the same growth chart format done for Tanoshii and Togaru, maybe even Prin's teammates even though they're not all that important. I'm really excited to draw Prin's and Mizu's senseis! **

**So please check those out if you haven't already.. Thanks guys and gals!**

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* * *

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_"Mizu-chan," _Prin whined as she dodged all of my kicks and punches. She had sweat beading on her forehead. "Slow down! I don't SWEAT!" I gave her a few more punches to dodge before sweeping her feet out from under her. She landed flat on her ass with a thud.

I snickered. "That was just mean," she proclaimed, laying back in the grass to catch her breath. The weather was mild; not too cold, not too hot. It's the perfect weather for hardcore training.

"Sorry, but you need some serious help." I snapped my fingers as I remembered something important. "Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you that I mentioned your shitty taijutsu to Gai and he's burning with passion and anticipation at the thought of training you." Her jaw dropped and I smiled brightly. "He's talking to Kazue this afternoon about training you." She went to punch my shoulder and I pushed her fist away. She actually put some real force behind that one.

"Are you being serious?" she asked in an exsasperated tone. "He's going to file me down to nothing but a nub, Mizukara. A. Fucking. NUB." She turned over on her face so she wouldn't have to look at me and let out fake muffled sods into the grass. "I hate you!"

"You'll be training with me though," I encouraged her, nudging her with my foot. She groaned. "Trust me, Gai-sensei is an amazing teacher, he's just a complete freak. Besides, don't you want some cool moves to flaunt at the guys?"

"That's what these looks are for, Mizu-chan..."

"That sounded so shallow."

"Yeah, kinda did didn't it?"

"Uh huh."

"Yeah."

We were silent for a few seconds before we looked at eachother and burst out laughing. I pulled Prin to her feet. "Lets go get something to eat," I said, after the giggles died down. We started towards the exit from the training grounds but stopped when we saw a brown blur hurling towards us at top speed. "What the..?" It was Tanoshii and he looked wild, like he had just wrestled a bair and won and was high on the adrenaline. His eyes were bulging.

"They're back!" he yelled. "Naruto is back and he brought the new Hokage!" He stopped in front of us and stood silently, huffing and puffing for air. He must've knew it was taking me and Prin a while to compute the information in our heads because our mouths were wide open and we were staring straight over his shoulder at nothing.

Me and Prin looked at eachother, overcome by joy and anticipation and chorused, "Naruto-kun is back!" We stampeded over Tanoshii as if he weren't even there; the only thing that reminded us he was were his muffled, painful yelps.

We dashed through the market and pushed over some academy kids who yelled after us. We elbowed through a crowd already on it's way to the Konoha Gate. We even ducked under a kissing couple in the middle of the walkway.

When we came to another crowd outside of the Hokage's office, we knew it was _the _crowd. We pushed through to the front. Naruto, Jiraiya and a buxom blond were standing outside it's doors, conversing amongst themselves. The blond woman, Tsunade, went inside leaving Naruto and the Sage alone at the front of the crowd.

"Naruto!" I lunged forward and when my eyes locked with his, they lit up with giddy happiness.

"Mizu-cha-" I cut him off by tackling him to the ground in another big hug. "Ow!" He still seemed to be a little sore from his battle with Orochimaru. News of the fight had spread through Konoha like a wildfire but me and Prin had been unsure of whether to believe it or ignore it. Rumors start everyday around town, so it's pretty hard to tell. I will never forget the one about Prin's mother having an affair with Hatake Kakashi. Prin and I laughed about it for months.

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe you're okay." I nuzzled into his chest and the crowd began to deminish. Prin came over and helped us to our feet.

"I'm thinking Ichiraku's and a nice chat about your battle," Prin nudged his shoulder and he put on a cheesey smile and let out a goofy laugh.

Ichiraku's was almost completely empty and despite the slow business, the ramen guy gave us our ramen on the house; apparently news of Naruto and his efforts to hunt down the next hokage had been greatly acknowledged and he was somewhat "famous" for it.

Naruto was halfway through with his first bowl before anyone said anything. "You heard about Kakashi being in the hospital, didn't you?" I nibbled at the noodles daintily and noticed vaguely from the corner of my eye that Naruto stiffened. That had also been a hot topic of conversation around Konoha since Naruto and Jiraiya left. The older Uchiha, the one that disappeared, and some other guy had come for Naruto and ended up beating on Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma; from what I had heard Kakashi had been pretty messed up.

Apparenly Sasuke went after his brother and ended up getting his ass kicked too, much to my amusement. He came back to Konoha with Gai-sensei pretty much a bloody pulp. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"I heard," he said finally, after a silence that felt longer due to the awkward tension. "It was Sasuke's brother who did all of this. And it's my fault." His eyes went dark.

"It's not your fault Naruto-kun!" Prin told him, her voice laced with distaste and surprise. "You people always have to blame yourselves..." I gave her a look that said to just shut the fuck up.

"They were after _me,_" Naruto said between clenched teeth. He clutched his stomach, or rather, the seal mark on his stomach. "They were after what's inside of me. They still are!" I could see the pain that radiated from him and knew immediately that it was only hurting him to talk about it.

"Forget about it Naruto-kun." I took another bite of my ramen. "Hey, what about your fight with Orochimaru? And finding Tsunade-sama?" _Tsunade-sama, _I thought. _It already sounds just right._

Naruto lit back up considerably as he started telling us about his journey. He told us of how he had mastered the Rasengan and killed Kabuto, who he explained was working for Orochimaru all along and of the bet he had made with Tsunade. He had almost died in his fight with Kabuto, but was healed by Tsunade, who has impeccable medical jutsu. She had even protected Naruto when Orochimaru tried to take him out as well. He even witnessed an incredible fight amongst the summons of all three Sannin, which I couldn't seem to stop replaying in my head. Just thinking about how amazing it must've been blew my mind!

"See?" He pulled out a necklace from underneath his collar. "Same necklace the 1st Hokage wore! Haha! Aren't you jealous?" Me and Prin poked at it and studied it, making "Oooooh" sounds, intrigued.

"I can't believe she would give you something as valuable as this," Prin said. "She must've been drunk when she made that bet!" Naruto gave Prin a look that said she undoubtedly was.

We left Ichiraku's soon after, bidding Naruto a farewell. I nudged Prin with my shoulder as we watched Naruto slowly disappear out of sight. "You should sleep over so i can make sure you're up early tomorrow." She gave me a curious and confused look.

"Why am _I _getting up early?" I flashed her an evil grin and she groaned. "No! That's tomorrow?"

I laughed. "Yup. Gai-sensei is going to flip out when he sees you." She sobbed the whole way home.

* * *

"Prin, wake up."

"Mmh.."

"Prin..."

"Mmf!"

"Get the fuck up Prin! We don't have time for this!" She squirmed when I raised my voice, but fell limp under the sheets. I pulled them out from over her and she cringed as if the direct moderately cool air was going to disentigrate her into a pile of ashes.

"I am, I am..." she mumbled as she slowly raised up and stretched out her stiff limbs. "When do we need to be at the training grounds?"

"10 minutes." Her eyes grew wide.

"What the hell Mizukara, why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"That's what I've been _trying _to do," I groaned as I pulled her gingerly to her feet. I struggled not to scowl at her effortless beauty, even this early in the morning. Her silver hair was slightly messy, but with a swift run threw with her hand it was as smooth and perfect as it always is. _She makes me sick..._

After a few short minutes of picking at her face in the small vanity mirror she turned to me and said," Okay, I'm ready."

"Let's go then. If we're late he's going to make us run 500 laps around Konoha." She looked at me wildly and I flashed her a look that said I was definately not exaggerating.

We made it to the training grounds with just a second to spare before Gai popped up pretty much out of nowhere. His eyes passed over me, a passionate, proud flame glowing in them. And then they fell upon Prin.

Ah, Ibaraka Prin," he said, his voice soft and warm, like one of Prin's mother's freshly baked daifukus. My mouth watered at the comparison. "It's such a pleasure to be teaching you the fine art of taijutsu. I'm guessing Mizukara has briefed you on the basics of taijutsu thus far?" Prin gave a nervous glance in my direction. I've been working with Prin on her taijutsu for months, almost every time we went to train together I demonstrated a little bit of taijutus.

She looked back at Gai, who was studying her incredibly hard. "Yes, Gai-sama." He paused for a brief second before his face split into a giant grin, clearly pleased at the sound of his name referred to as 'sama'.

"Great!" he stood up straight and did the one thing I was hoping he wouldn't; he did his signature pose.

"Avert you eyes!" I turned away so the image wouldn't be burned into my brain permanently.

"It's so youthful to see another student joining me on our long, passionate journey to uncover the youth that lies deep down within each and every one of us!" He grabbed Prin and hugged her hard to his solid chest, Prin squeaking as all air began to escape her crushed lungs. What the hell was he talking about, anyway?

"A journey I wish I could be on, Gai-sensei!" My head snapped in the direction of the feeble voice that spoke and I gasped.

"Lee-kun!" I rushed towards him and threw my arms around him, careful not to hug him too hard or knock him off of his crutches. I'm sure Prin would have too had her lungs not been collapsing at the moment.

Lee laughed. "Ah, Mizukara-chan... How have you been?"

"Just dandy, Lee. How about yourself?" His weak smile faltered slightly and I felt sorry for asking.

"I'm alright." He looked me in the eyes hard and I could see the same passion burning behind all of the pain and sorrow, if only a weak flickering flame. It was comforting to know he wasn't completely broken. "I'm sitting in on your training today. I'm an observer." He brightened up considerably and I felt myself cheer up as well.

While Lee took his seat on the opposite side of the training grounds, Gai-sensei beckoned me over, thus commencing our training.

First we did some seriously inappropriate stretching; just going to leave it at that. Next we did 100 laps around Konoha with weights, then 50 without them so Gai could "Monitor our progress," but all it did was make our muscles burn like a bitch. Next Gai demonstrated some moves for Prin, moves I had already learned, and demonstrated them on me. Which also hurt like a bitch, much to the amusement of Prin. At that moment it seemed like the only person cheering me on was Lee, which made me smile. Gosh, the kid is so ugly he's cute sometimes.

Next me and Prin sparred; I was instructed to hold back. I say good luck with that. I went ape on her pretty much, earning me another 50 laps around Konoha while Prin was instructed the movements to perform a leaf whirlwind. All around it was a pretty normal training session for me.

Afterwards, Gai took us out for ramen in honor of his newest student. Which really pissed me off because he hadn't done anything for me when I became his student. I brushed it off. I didn't need to be petted and pampered; I needed to learn taijutsu.

I knew Prin was trying to hide how much pain she was in because everytime Gai wasn't looking and Prin took a step, she would wince and mutter a curse word. Lee secretly offered her one of his crutches to which me and him snickered at.

"I'm very proud of your progress," Gai stated as we all took a seat at the ramen bar. It felt weirdly different without Naruto sitting to my left like he always does when we go out for ramen. He sure didn't seem like himself last night (not including how much he was in pain). Whatever it was that happened to Naruto while he was gone had really affected him. His eyes weren't the same happy, cheerful brightness they usually are. Instead they were a dim, shadowy glow that didn't seem as happy as they should've been. I had been thinking about him since I went to bed last night.

Maybe I should talk to Prin about spending some quality time with him today. I was plunged out of my thoughts when Prin nudged me.

"Huh?" She gave me a look that said I was a dumbass.

"What're you thinking about?" she asked me, a curious twang in her voice. I pursed my lips.

"Naruto." I stuffed some of the raman noodles in my mouth. "He was acting really weird. I just want to check on him, maybe hang out today." She nodded in agreement.

"I don't know though," she shrugged. "I bet he's back to his normal self now."

We finished our ramen and decided to go back to my apartment to freshen up and relax before we went to hunt down Naruto. We bathed at my apartment and just sat out on the balcony talking about anything and everything, especially Neji. She always has to turn the conversation around on me even when I'd try to change the subject. Talking to her seriously is damn near impossible.

"So what is the relationship status?" she mused, a playful smirk played across her lips. "Talking, dating, engaged..." I felt like throwing something at her but there was nothing around me to chuck.

"I really wish you would just drop it," I informed her. "Yeah. I like him. A lot, actually... I just don't think I can make the first move." _Unless I already have, _I thought. I remembered back to our spar a few days ago and blushed. Much to my annoyance, Prin noticed almost immediately.

"Why are you blushing? What aren't you telling me?" She raised her voice and I put a finger to my lips telling her to be quiet. There were people passing by directly below us, though I was sure we were too high up for them to hear us, I didn't want to risk it.

"We sparred again yesterday."

She wriggled her eyebrows. "And it was magical, right? Sparks flew, the chorus sang..." I rolled my eyes at her.

"We sort of had a heart-to-heart..." When she raised one perfect eyebrow I hastily added, "about our sparring. Nothing else."

"Ugh, you two are so fucking boring. Why don't you two just make out already? I know it's coming." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms as if she knew more than I did, which I had to hold back from reminding her that she didn't.

I shuddered at the thought because it actually sounded kind of enjoyable.

"Well, he said that _I _made him feel less like a branch slave, which I reminded him he was more than," I stated matter-of-factly. "And then some more chit chat happened and he showed me his curse mark, I kissed it, and we walked away." I said the last part hastily, hoping she wouldn't compute the information quickly enough to gawk at me.

"Mizukara!" she gasped in an overly dramatic voice. "You are _such _a whore!" I was shocked by her words at first before realizing her dramatic voice was of more sarcasm than drama.

"Not the point." I rolled my eyes at her again. "But our spar was amazing. We felt like we were one, part of the same person, synchronized. He knew every move I was going to make and he pretty much layed me out." I looked to the busy villagers shuffling below us and wished for once I could be one of them because their lives couldn't be any more confusing than mine.

"You talk like you had sex," Prin snorted between inappropriate giggles. I groaned.

"Why do I tell you anything? All you do is exploit it all." I turned a serious glare her way, my exsasperation more than clear to her through my knit eyebrows and firey eyes. She surprised me when she put on a serious face of her own.

"You tell me because I can make sense out of all of this." She pursed her lips before she spoke again. "I'm here for you whether you want me to be or not. So get over it and stop making that scary face." I relaxed into a smile and threw my arms around her neck.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you too." We pulled away and she got right back to business. "Neji likes you, that much is obvious. And you've admitted you like him, plus you guys have kissed-"

"Totally by accident."

"How can you call it an accident when he had you pinned down and kissed you within his own will?" She continued before I could protest. "You've kissed lips once, unless you're not telling me something for which I will torture out of you." She winked. "Neji is over his arrogance when it comes to being around you, and he obviously _likes _being around you or he wouldn't bother asking you to spar or fight or dry hump eachother or whatever the hell it is you guys do." I leaned over and gave her a playful shove.

"I just don't think it's appropriate," I admitted, all playfulness gone from me. "You know I'm not the girlfriend type. You also know I lack a backbone when it comes to guys... That's how it's always been."

She laughed. "That's Neji too, Mizukara-chan. Totally not the boyfriend type and totally awkward around girls." She said it like it was a good thing.

"How is that a good thing?" I asked. She shook her head.

"You guys have so much in common that you're a lot more comfortable around eachother than most other people. _So _you guys are attracted to eachother. _So _you could be together. And trust me; me and Tenten have talked. You two would be cute as hell together." I gave her a look that asked, "Why the fuck have you been talking about me?"

"Just don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll happen on its own." I sighed. _If only I knew _what _would happen on it's own, _I thought. At that moment I felt a little lightheaded.

"We should go find Naruto," I said after a moment of silence; Prin stopped chewing her nails to look up and nod. As we slid back off the balcony and made out way inside I couldn't help but think about how truely spineless I was. It wasn't a fact I was particularly crazy over.

I smiled to myself. Maybe I should try growing one.

* * *

**Ch. 17 is in the works. Don't worry, it'll be up eventually. I promise. (:**

**I really encourage some constructive criticism. I love these nice reviews and I have got one or two that were really helpful, but I encourage you to give me something to work with to better improve my writing style. Reguardless, review because your positive/ negative feedback would still be appreciated. (: **

**Listened to a couple of songs finishing this last night (I spent almost 4 hours working on this and didn't get in bed until 3:30 AM and I had been watching MTV, which turns into AMTV after 3 AM and starts playing music videos which makes for INSPIRATION.) I'm not going to tell you the songs because I don't want to pollute your minds with dirty rap and hip hop (thats pretty much all AMTV plays). I'm pretty sure most of you don't like rap, hey I didn't either for a long time (I still prefer rock to rap but that is beside the point.) but my hoe friends got me into it. Blame them. **

**Uh, anyway what I was getting around to is even though most of you probably hate it, you should try to keep an open mind when it comes to inspiration and music. Any kind of music can inspire.**

**Okay, I'm done preaching. Thanks for reading and please review/alert/fav/whatever because I really appreciate it and it motivates me to continue writing. **

**xoxoxo (:**


	17. Hurt

**Yeah, I updated. :3 **

**And it is thanks to YOU my wonderful readers! Thanks for your amazing reviews. You've motivated me to write a 3,885 word chapter in three days which is quite good for me seeing as it's been kind of weird around here lately. **

**Anyway, tomorrow is MLK Day and I would normally have the day off of schoolbut because we have missed 496290676054 days because of snow, we have to go. I know, piss on that, right? I'm angry about it. So I *likely* won't be updating as soon as I did this time. Blame the f*cked up school board. That's what I'm doing. :P TO THA DISCLAIMER!**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own anything except the OCs, but trust me... If I did, I would share it all with you amazing people. (: **

**READ ON.**

* * *

The crowd that awaited the inauguration of the 5th Hokage was monstrous. Prin, Kaida, and I struggled to get to a decent position where we could see something of what was going on. We ushered ourselves forward toward the front of the crowd of villagers and ninja who were eagerly awaiting Tsunade's inauguration.

"Jeez Mizu-chan you can slow down now," Prin snarled as she, Kaida, and our teammates appeared behind me.

"Sorry I forgot how sore you still are from Gai-sensei's training," I said in a sarcastic voice. She scoffed at me.

"Don't give me shit," she mumbled before smacking Tanoshii across the face. He kept blowing on the back of her neck, making her shiver. It was too inappropriate for words.

"I see you and your friends made it just in time." I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Neji's familiar voice directly behind me. When I turned to face him he had an arrogant smirk on his face and I suddenly felt like playfully slapping it off of him. How didn't I notice him there before? He was standing with Tenten and his younger cousin Hanabi, Hinata's little sister.

"Yup," I replied, trying to regain my calm composure. I have always hated being caught off guard. "I heard she's a very skilled medical nin. I bet she can help Lee." I saw Tenten's face go grim and Neji's expression only slightly faltered.

"Lee is going to be fine," he stated. I almost wanted to smile at his unusual optimism. Kaida and Hanabi started whispering and giggling and glancing between me and Neji in an annoyingly sneaky way. I arched an eyebrow but shook my head, dismissing their childishness.

I was about to say something to Prin about Kaida and Hanabi but she elbowed me in the ribs and pointed upward, to the top of the Hokage's building, where I noticed the familiar blond and her unmistakable physique. She was far away, but it was obviously her. She had on the signature Hokage's hat and she stood up straight, with pride.

Then with one swift motion, she jerked the hat from her head and announced, "From this day forward, I am the fifth hokage of Konoha!" The whole crowd erupted into cheers and claps. I joined in mid-clap and refrained from screaming like a banshee, seeing as Prin was doing enough of that for all of us.

There wasn't very much else done except some more cheering and a few more words from the new Hokage herself, but soon after, the crowd began to lose it's excitement and dispersed. I turned to Neji and Tenten. "Some of us are going back to Prin's bakery for a bite. Do you guys want to tag along?"

"Sure, I'm down," Tenten agree. Everyone looked at Neji.

I could feel his eyes flash over my shoulder at Togaru, who still wasn't quite his favorite person and vice versa. "I'd rather not." I felt my stomach suddenly tighten the slightest bit.

_Grow a backbone, _I thought. _Pounce, like Prin said. _

Just as everyone was turning away to follow Prin to Ibaraka's and Neji back to the Hyuuga Compound, I snatched his wrist. "Wait!" He turned questioning, slightly surprised eyes towards mine while everyone else looked on confused.

The feeling of having everyone's eyes on me in a situation like this one wasn't one I quite favored. "Um, c'mon, you should really join us. We're just going to hang out for a little while, and you won't have to pay." I whispered the last part so nobody else could hear; Prin's mom was still iffy about who we gave discounts to. "It'll be fun. And Prin's mom makes the best daifuku in Konoha!" His expression softened then his lips parted slightly and he looked away from my eyes as if contemplating.

"I..." He started. Then he seemed to change his mind. "Fine. Whatever." His expression was then replaced with the same hard, slightly exasperated mask it usually was when he was around others. I took note of how much more relaxed he seemed when we were alone.

"Great!" Prin's voice held excessive happiness. I guessed she was proud of me for going all girly-pretty-please on Neji. Though it wasn't something I figured I would have the courage to do again any time soon, I was proud of myself for doing it effectively. _I'm good, _I thought arrogantly, smiling to myself as I fell into step next to Prin. She nudged me and when I looked at her she stuck her tounge out.

"I pounced," I confirmed. She grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm so proud," she gleamed with a happy sigh. "You're growing up so damn fast."

When we got to Ibaraka's I stood next to the doorway and waited for Neji to emerge, seeing as he was several paces behind me and the rest of the group. I waited patiently, but he never appeared. I looked at Tenten completely confused as she approached.

"Where did he go?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "He just disappeared. One second, he's right here and the next," She threw her arms in the air. "he's nowhere to be seen!" I sighed. I had a feeling he really didn't want to come, but I expected him to at least tag along for me, as shallow as that sounded. _Maybe he doesn't like me as much as I thought he did, _I thought nervously. Prin poked my arm.

"Hey, Togaru is gone, too." Okay, I knew Togaru was suppose to be here; he had agreed to join us before the inauguration. Something weird was going on, I had a feeling. I felt my heart beat quicken. I didn't trust either of them alone, knowing how badly they hate eachother.

"Let's just wait it out. I'm sure they'll show up in a little while," Prin chirped, her voice agonizingly peppy. "Now let's go get some sweets made for our sweeties." I could've swore I saw her wink over my shoulder at Kiba as we were getting up to go into the kitchen.

"I'll go look for them," Tanoshii assured me. Before I could protest his kind offer he was already out the door. I shrugged, and followed after Prin into the kitchen.

We had several batches of sweets set out on the counter neatly in less than ten minutes; Prin and I are exceptionally quick when in the kitchen together. Prin is surprisingly smart when it comes to calculating temperature and time so that the baking is done faster.

She whistled for everyone's attention and naturally, everyone turned to gawk at her. "Free shit right here!" I hated how freely she cussed. She sounded like a hormonal teenage boy sometimes. When Naruto approached, Prin poked him on the forehead in a bully-like gesture and smiled mischievously. "Don't eat too much, Naruto-kun. You're too much when you're hyped up on sugar..." Damn, that brings back memories. I started to remember why we never brought Naruto here.

Almost as soon as everyone had grabbed their desired treats and rushed back to their seats, Prin abandoned me to go smother Kiba. I couldn't help but scowl at how easily she put boys before her bestfriend. Searching for someone, _anyone _to talk to before I felt really awkward, my eyes fell on Naruto. I suddenly felt giddy at the thought of slapping the shit out of him in front of Chouji, Shikamaru, and Kiba, the group he was sitting with, but decided against it when I saw Prin standing over them with her flirty face on. I scowled again to myself.

Ino, Sakura, and Tenten sat separately, conversing amongst themselves despite their lack of closeness. I envied how easily they could just be friendly with one another. My eyebrows shot up when Tenten caught my gaze and motioned me over. Sakura and Ino turned wary gazes on me, but I thought nothing of them as I approached.

"Mizu-chan, we were just talking about you." I cocked my head to the side curiously. Ino and Sakura went stiff.

"Yeah?" I slumped into a seat between Tenten and Ino and put on a childish grin. "It better be good talk." Tenten turned an amused gaze on the younger girls as if expecting them to speak. "Well, what were you saying?" I asked after a long silence.

"You're really pretty," Ino blurted before turning her head to the side. I was lost, and I guessed my expression showed it because Tenten threw her head back in a super loud, super cute laugh.

"True, but not what you two were saying." I nudged Tenten as if to thank her for her flattering comment without actually saying it.

"Uhm, well..." Sakura started, her voice dignifying her lack of assurance or confidence. "We-"

I was cut off when Tanoshii punched my shoulder. I snarled and looked up at him. When I met his eyes I was shocked by how serious they were. His normally warm brown eyes were glassy and serious but what was behind them had me feeling uncomfortable; I could see something frantic hidden behind all of the shallow confidence and self control he was trying to push on himself. I stood and took note of the silence at the table.

"You found him?" He flinched, as if I'd punched him in the stomach.

"I found _them._" He looked frantically from side to side and his voice sounded as frantic as the feeling I saw in his eyes. It was my turn to flinch. "Come on, we have to stop them!" He practically drug me from Ibaraka's and into a dead sprint through Konoha.

"What is going on?" I asked him, my voice unsatisfyingly hoarse. I always felt uncomfortable when my emotions were made so blantantly obvious.

"They're fighting!" My breath caught in my throat for a second before I realized this made me more angry than scared or shocked. The adrenaline my anger fueled had me sprinting in front of Tanoshii. I wasn't sure where I was going until I felt their chakra.

I bounded into the training grounds and skidded to a halt to study the scene before me. They were moving so fast I almost couldn't see them; but I knew they were there and they were going at it like nothing I had ever seen before. The angry, bloodthirsty look in Neji's eyes made my stomach clench so tightly I had to clutch it and take a deep breath to keep from screaming in a mixture of both anger and pain. He looked completely different; nothing like when we spar. His eyes were wrinkled showing he had his Byakugan activated and he looked scary and angry and even a little bit _evil. _I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake all of the crazy unfamiliar weirdness out of him. He was dirty and he had several cuts and fresh bruises on his face and arms. Seeing him like this with some sort of unphasable hunger in his eyes reminded me of the Chunin Exams and the way he had pummeled Hinata, his own flesh and blood. He looked like he wanted to kill him. And I realized how much I despised this side of him. I turned cold, panicked eyes on Togaru.

He looked worse than Neji; dirty, weak, bloody. He also had bruises and welts building on his arms where the Hyuuga prodigy had found his chakra points. Though he was putting up a good fight, the Hyuuga was too fast for him and every hit inflicted by Neji hurt him more the ones he hit Neji with. His face hid the pain behind a mask of hatred and anger like nothing I'd ever seen. Seeing Togaru lose control was almost more scary than seeing Neji in the state he was in and putting both of them together was just too overwhelming.

The blood that sputtered from Togaru's mouth was horrifying enough to make my voice start working again. "Stop!" Neji kept thrusting at the chakra points around Togaru's shoulders and collarbone; the ones that hurt the most. Togaru stopped putting up a fight completely and I hear Neji growl something through clenched teeth that sounded like, "Finished already?"

"Neji, stop!" I rushed forward towards Togaru and at the same time he thrust two fingers with excessive force directly at Togaru's chest, sending him backwards several yards. Tanoshii was there in a flash and caught him before he hit the ground. I rushed to his side and heard a familliar _poof! _that usually came with a cloud of smoke.

"Neji!" Gai's voice was hard and stern. It was weird coming from Gai-sensei. I ignored Neji's scolding and focused on Togaru's injuries. He was out cold, motionless, bleeding. The cold, distant expression on his face terrified me and when I looked up at Tanoshii I saw the same reaction.

"Why didn't you stop?" I stood and turned to Neji, not caring if Gai-sensei saw my ugly side. "Why did you do this?" He just looked at me and rubbed some smudged dirt off of his cheek, his expression serious yet soft, exasperated yet calm. I started grinding my teeth together.

"You blame this all on me," he said. "but he is just as much to blame. He challenged me and didn't expect me to pack such a punch." He actually smiled in the midst of this horrid situation. "He's as dumb as he looks." I went to lunge for him and saw surprise - and was that regret? - pass over his face, but someone grabbed my arm. I didn't have to look around to know it was Juro-sensei's firm grip.

"Go to hell," I growled. His expression was unreadable as Gai-sensei lead him from the training grounds.

I turned to Juro-sensei and he looked at me pitifully before turning to my injured teammate. "Is he going to be okay?" Tanoshii's question went unanswered as our sensei simply threw Togaru over his shoulder and flashed us a look I never wished to see on my Sensei's face before he dashed him to the hospital: doubt.

* * *

When I couldn't sleep that night I decided to go to Naruto's apartment; I often got better sleep when I had someone with me, though I wasn' sure if that would be the case tonight with all that had happened today. I'd avoided Prin all day after Togaru was taken to the hospital; not that it had been hard. She'd been with Kiba all day and the news about Neji and Togaru probably hadn't even made its way to her yet. I felt completely sick to my stomach just remembering the events. Togaru was listed under critical condition after Juro-sensei turned him in to the petite nurses that has gawked and huddled around him at the sight of his injuries. They said much more damage to his internal organs and his life would've been in danger. Of course, this only fueled the flame to my already eternally burning anger.

When I got to his door I knocked on it gingerly and when nobody answered, I knocked a little bit harder. Then harder. Until finally I heard the latch click and a groggy eyed, scruffy blond head peeked through the partially cracked door. He smiled groggily. "Come on in Mizu-chan." He sounded completely tired, but he still laughed lightheartedly which made my spirits lift considerably.

"I just need to be around somebody," I told him, as I adjusted my pillow under my arm so I could rub some of the sleep from my eyes. He grinned.

"Sure! Sleep wherever you want..." I collapsed on his floor and nuzzled my face into my pillow. I could feel his eyes on me for a while and then he draped a blanket over me. I smiled into my pillow. _He may be an idiot, _I thought, _but he's _my_ idiot._

I decided to talk to him in the morning before I met with my team for the regular training. Which reminded me I wasn't really looking forward to that either. Me, Tanoshii, and Juro. I felt like crying, but I held back the urge. Crying shows weakness. And I _never _show weakness. At least I never did until Neji came into the picture and totally knocked (not _swept_) me off of my feet. These days I just feel confused and surprisingly nervous. It's difficult to explain.

I knew I had to make up with Prin; she's the only one who can give me insight into this crazy, jumbled up area of emotions that I'm not ashamed to say I'm stupider than shit when it comes to. I feel dumber every time Prin gives me that surprised look when I ask her something about it. I didn't want to make up with her at all; hell, right now she probably doesn't even know I'm mad which only makes me even more mad. She's as clueless about everything else when it comes to boys as I am _about _boys. Funny how opposite yet close we are.

I sighed and tried to clear my mind of all stressful thoughts as I shut my sleepy eyes. I practically felt the pressure lift from between my ears as I finally slipped into a sea of happy dreams.

The next morning, I woke to the sound of Naruto yawning and shifting under the sheets on his bed. I looked up slowly, letting my eyes adjust to the light, and discovered his gaze was on me.

"What?" I hated how croaky and hoarse my voice was in the morning. He sniffed and flashed me his signature dorky boyish smile.

"Good morning!" he beamed, his voice much more peppy than he actually looked. I gave him a confused look that he didn't seem to notice, or just decided against acknowledging. Then it hit me. Naruto must've heard about Togaru and Neji and at least known I was upset about it. He was trying to cheer me up. I looked back at his cute, naturally clueless face and felt a lot better than I expected to when waking up this morning; just knowing he cared enough about me to try cheering me up was enough to brighten my day up completely.

After getting woke up and stretching our stiff muscles, I decided to talk to him. I had time before I had to meet what remained of my team at the regular training grounds. Hell, I'd be late if I could find an excuse to be. I was dreading it more and more by the minute.

"You heard about yesterday." I said it more than asked it, but the blonde nodded. "They're both idiots. I thought they were more mature than childish fighting." Naruto shrugged.

"I'm going to be honest; I hate them both." I stifled a giggle. "They're both full of themselves. Neji obsesses over some loony destiny. Togaru is a cocky bastard." I flinched. "Put them together and throw a nasty rivalry into the mix then it just turns into a pride thing." I threw my head back and groaned.

"It's still childish and completely moronic."

"It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand." He spoke as if he knew from experience which I didn't doubt.

"It's a _stupid _and _pointless _thing. But that's only one thing I'm stressing over." I ran my fingers through my hair. "Prin's been totally moosh-brained since she's been with Kiba yesterday. She wasn't there for me at all." I sounded as disappointed and exasperated as I felt and Naruto's eyes burned holes through me. I struggled not to look away from his intense gaze.

"They've hurt you this badly?" I thought long and hard about his words; did they hurt me this badly? Neji and Togaru had most definitely hurt me. I didn't expect them to be best friends but after everything that went down with Tanoshii I did expect them to at least grow the fuck up and act like a couple civilized human beings. The fact that they went at eachother with a deadly intent, both meant a great deal to me and knowing I would be hurt that they couldn't get along for my own mental stability, is what cut me the deepest.

I know they had to have some idea that I would be hurt by their actions, so why did they do it? I was starting to think that maybe they didn't care about me as much as I thought they did. It was moments like this when I missed my mom. When I couldn't count on Prin for advice, she was always there and she always had the right answers.

I used to ask her if Hasegawa would ever come back and she always answered the same way. She'd wrap her arms around me and say, "Hasegawa will come back because her heart is still within Konoha, as is her spirit." I never really could make sense of just what she meant by that when I was younger. As time went on, I started to just accept the fact that maybe she was just saying that to make me feel better.

It was then, when I looked back up into Naruto's cold stare, that I remembered his question. "They did hurt me."

Naruto spoke with undoubtful assurance in his voice. "Then let them know that you're hurt and angry. Maybe then they'll realize that the only way they can be your friend is to be civil with eachother." I was again shocked by how completely wise the blond prankster truly was. He must keep all his knowledge hidden behind all of the goofy childishness.

"Well, thanks Naruto-kun." I leaned over and playfully ruffled his already messy hair and he flashed me an exasperated look. I laughed. "I should probably get going. Thanks for your inspiring words of wisdom. And a cozy floor to sleep on." We stood and I hugged him tight before planting a sloppy Bestfriend Kiss on his forehead.

I went over to my apartment and nabbed a few of the things I would need before I left to the training grounds. Kaida was still asleep like I had left her last night; I hoped she hadn't woke up and noticed I was gone. _Maybe it would be good for her to get use to being on her own, _I thought as I shut the door behind me and started down the stairs from my apartment.

As I emerged at the bottom of the stairs, I paused to take in the beauty of the sunrise that seemed to be painted just above the Hokage heads. The bright orange and pink and purple colors mixed together made the perfect setting for the ending of one of those cheesy romance novels that I use to catch Prin reading. I laughed at the memory and my anger towards her seemed to evaporate. I made a mental note to meet her at Ibaraka's later.

As soon as I took a step out of the shadows of the stair case, I ran into the familiar rock hard form that I'd only ran into a billion times. I felt my breath catch in my throat even as I stumbled back and found myself stuck in the gaze of those unreadable lavender eyes.

* * *

**OH THE CHEESY DRAMAZ. O: **

**I hope you enjoyed reading because I felt like I freakin' fat kid in Charlie's Chocolate Factory writing it. :D (If that makes sense?)**

**So while I have been writing I have also been reading the House of Night series and am on book 4. I feel like it has been great inspiration in a way. If you haven't heard about it, it is about this girl who gets "marked" and is sent to a vampyre finishing school where she discovers she has all of these weird powers and falls in love and shit. It's really cool so far. (:**

**Anyway, stick around for Chappie numero seventeen-o. (: I'm excited for it, so maybe I just _might _have if finished soon. (:**

**xoxo**


	18. Numb

**Hey look, I'm alive. **

**I'd like to apologize for disappearing for over a year. I know it probably doesn't mean much to many of you, but it's all I can really say and I hope you understand. I've had a case of writers block on top of not really being into the series, but I'm getting back into again and plan on continuing with this. **

**Anyway, if anyone out there still plans on reading this, here is your incredibly long-overdue chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in this fiction except the OCs mentioned. **

* * *

"I have to talk to you." Neji's voice was direct and intimidating, but I refused to have him beat me down after what he had done.

"Fuck off. I don't give a damn about what you have to say." I turned to walk around him but he snatched my arm and pulled me back to him. "Why do you keep doing this?"

He was momentarily confused. "Keep doing what?" I rolled my eyes and took a step back, not happy with the closeness of our bodies. All my confusion, my anger, it boiled over right there and I could see in his eyes he knew exactly that.

"You keep building things up with us and then you beat it down. You mess up any kind of relationship we ever have. Friends or..." I trailed off and decided to leave the sentence unfinished for his destiny fogged imagination. His eyes clouded over and I could see he was conflicted with a mix of different emotions. Now he knows how I feel; I hope it makes him just as miserable and confused as it did me.

"I'm sorry." His voice was genuinely soft which would have normally stunned me or made me pause, but I wasn't going to be fooled this time. I just snorted and gave him a look that I could only hope mirrored how unmoved and uncaring I truly felt for his apology. I had heard enough of that shit from him and I wasn't about to waste any more of my time listening to him.

"You hurt me." It was the only thing I could think of that might actually hurt him. Sure enough, his guilty, knowing expression changed to one of immediate shock. His lavender eyes were wide and pain ridden. To say it made me feel better was an understatement. "You hurt me bad. I expected you both to try and get along for me, at least. But you let your twisted pride get in the way."

"I didn't mean-"

"I liked you!" I yelled in his face. "I liked you, and I've given you another chance before. A couple times, actually. You just keep ripping my heart out and giving it back on a silver platter every time, and honestly, I'm fed up with you." I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes, threatening to spill over. I'd finally gotten it off of my chest and even though that burden seemed to be lifted, when I saw the pain in Neji's eyes I was burdened with another weight completely. I shook away any pity or guilt I had left in me for the Hyuuga prodigy. This weight needs to be on his shoulders, not mine.

"I don't know what else to say other than I am sorry." He couldn't even admit he liked me, too? I wasn't sure whether to smack the shit out of him or just shake my head at how completely spineless he seemed. _And I thought I was spineless, _I thought.

"You don't have to say anything else. Ever." I made sure my hair flipped over my shoulder when I turned to walk away. "Don't ever talk to –" He jerked me swiftly back to him and, to my complete and utter shock, crashed his lips against mine in the most explosive kiss I've ever had in my life. He had both hands cupping the sides of my face possessively, and his lips were soft and warm. I felt my stomach flip and my heart jump to my throat in an alarming and surprising thrill I'd never in my whole life experienced. My reaction was instinctive but it couldn't have been _me_; my body betrayed me. It was amazing.

I kissed him back. I felt as if I had admitted the ultimate defeat in doing so, yet I made no immediate move to retract my lips from his.

At the realization and sudden recollection of my sanity, I put both hands on his chest and pushed him back, sending both of us stumbling back a few feet. I blew hot air out my nostrils, walked up to him, drew my hand back, and with all of my anger and pain behind it, slapped him across his pale face. I knew he could've easily drawn my hand away or at least ducked away from my slap, but he let my hand connect with his cheek with an agonizingly loud _slap! _The force turned his head away from me, and I could see the red mark already beginning to form.

"I hate you." I walked away, trying my best to wipe away my tears before I made it to Juro-sensei and Tanoshii.

Oddly enough, I felt empty of all emotions. My tears practically evaporated and the knot in my stomach went away. The usual pounding pressure that throbbed between my ears was gone. I didn't feel guilty for hitting Neji or fluttery that he'd kissed me or sad that Togaru was in the hospital or mad at Prin for ditching me or nervous to be training with Tano and Juro-sensei; I simply didn't feel anything. Neji could've turned around and punched my lights out and I wouldn't have been fazed. It was like every part of me was numb of feeling completely.

Walking into the training grounds was something I'd been dreading since Togaru got hurt yesterday. It seemed so much easier with the newfound numbness.

Juro-sensei was leaned casually against one of the training dummies and didn't even flinch when he spotted me. He must've felt my chakra all the way from my apartment. "It's about time, don't you think?" He looked exasperated and less than pleased with my timing. I just sighed and shrugged my shoulders. Tanoshii glared daggers at me in warning as if to tell me I was making all of the wrong moves toward the sleeping giant.

"It's been a rough morning." I could see both of them had confusion in their concerned eyes. "Let's just get to work, please." I knew Juro-sensei had a reason for being thrown off; since when is Tanoshii first to show up for training? Even without Togaru there, I'm expected to carry on like usual. We all are... But the way I was feeling, it was like all of the other emotions I was feeling when Neji kissed me ran into each other and exploded, and when the smoke cleared there was nothing left but carelessness. I could carry on normally like this, couldn't I?

_Probably not, _I thought. _But I better try. _Shrugging in agreement with the voice inside my head, I stood up straight and studiously and looked directly at Juro-sensei, prepared for whatever he had planned for me.

"Spar." It was blunt, much like his voice. I cocked my head to the side.

Tanoshii looked from me to Juro. "Me and her?"

"Well, I don't see any other genin hanging around. Do you?" When Tanoshii looked over both shoulders but didn't answer, Juro-sensei motioned for us to spread apart and get into our fighting stance. I turned around and walked a distance away, looking at my feet lazily the whole way. I didn't feel like sparring, not right now. I felt more like sitting in a corner and trying to collect my thoughts, maybe try to piece together some familiar part of my mind that seemed to have shattered with that mind blowing burst of emotions that had happened moment ago.

I still felt his lips on mine. How weird is that?

When I finally turned around I discovered Juro's exasperated expression was now one of complete disgust and disapproval. Obviously my performance was already slacking and I hadn't even thrown a punch yet.

I wasn't in my stance when he said, "Begin." Tanoshii came at me with blinding speed. _Dodge, sweep, and catch him from behind._ I knew what to do but I couldn't force my feet to move in time to react. The next thing I knew I was on the ground, staring straight up into the premature sunrise. I didn't feel any pain. It was like I had just clumsily fallen over. I didn't feel like getting up, but Togaru appeared over me and offered a hand.

"You might want to get up before Juro-sensei gets any more aggravated." I just shook my head and accepted his outstretched hand. I suddenly felt tired.

"Again." I could read the exasperation laced through the teacher's monotonous voice; it was something I had developed a sixth sense for from being in his presence so often. His emotions were never very clear through his tone of voice or even his expression, as opposed to Tanoshii whose emotions were always so thick in his eyes. We can all read pretty much anything our sensei is feeling.

We stood, this time I got into stance, and then we went at each other again. This time I decided to put forth some sort of effort and actually threw a punch, all my steadily building aggravation and anger put into it. My fist successfully connected with his cheek and the image of Neji and the slap mark on his face popped into my head. I shook away the mental image and focused on Tanoshii as he stumbled back. I threw a few more punches and he dodged them all, the wind that came from them brushing his shaggy hair into his eyes. I took advantage and tried to sweep his feet out from under him, to which he responded by quickly flipping backwards. I analyzed him from a low, defensive crouch. The nervousness on his face was evident.

"What kind of stance is that, Mizukara?" Juro-sensei asked somewhat teasingly. I twitched trying to hold back a snarl. _At least I'm feeling something, _I thought_._ I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bag thing.

Swallowing my pride, I stood up straight and got into the appropriate stance. "Mph." My response was pretty moronic, but Juro-sensei was pleased. I suddenly blocked the three kunai that were thrown at me and glared daggers at Tanoshii, who smiled like a dweeb. I ran forward, pounced, and dove for Tanoshii; all the while he just stared up at me immobilized.

Then he moved with the same blinding speed, the speed that I'd never really seen as a problem until at this very moment. Tanoshii is easily confused and knocked off of his feet; why was he presenting such a challenge? Either he had been doing some serious training or I had a screw loose somewhere. I landed on the ground steadily and crouched low. I focused all of my energy and took a deep breath before pouncing again, this time with much more precision and speed, and bellowed, "Konoha Reppu!" as I swept him off of his feet, this time successfully. I drew a kunai and held it above his throat, signifying this round was over.

Juro was clearly very displeased.

"Good job Tanoshii." Okay, maybe he was only displeased with me. I withdrew my kunai and helped Tanoshii to his feet. Juro-sensei watched me wearily, his eyes suspicious and somewhat questioning.

"You're not having a good day." _Thanks, Captain Obvious. _I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

"Nope." For a second I thought he might actually care or try to cheer me up or something. Juro isn't really the caring type. Don't get me wrong, he cares about us as his team, and just like a parent, he would totally frown upon mischief and trouble making outside of training and missions and all of that jazz. But when it comes to drama and slacking off, he'd rather gouge his own eyes out than listen to one of our sob stories. _Which is sad, because I've never really had much of a sob story to share until recently, anyway. _

After a stern chewing out and several grueling punishment laps, we were dismissed for the rest of the day. After Juro-sensei flashed me a look that said he was incredibly disappointed in me, he vanished with a puff of smoke and an unenjoyably recognizable _Poof _that had me thinking back to the events of the previous day. I slouched down against the nearest training dummy, which was really just a giant slab of wood, and put my head in my hands. I was disappointed in _myself. _The way I felt, it was so unnatural and unfamiliar. I had no idea what to do.

"C'mon Mizukara-chan," Tanoshii's voice was calm and soft, but still beckoning. "Let's walk. You'll feel better."

"No. I won't." I looked up at him and knew that the knowledgeable tone I'd used hadn't moved him at all. Damn him.

"You will. I promise." He flashed an all knowing smile and for a second I could've sworn I saw Naruto standing in front of me instead of Tanoshii. Sitting around and sulking didn't sound as appealing as it had a few minutes ago. I sighed and took his outstretched hand, letting him pull me to my feet.

Walking out, I couldn't help but feel tense. What if he was waiting for me somewhere so we could "talk"? I shuddered. The thought of running into him had me boiling with anger and I clenched my fists at my sides. _I need to cool off, _I concluded. _I know the perfect place. _"Hey, Tano-kun, do you mind if we make a side-trip somewhere?" He looked at me with an eyebrow raised, obviously curious as to where I had in mind. "It won't be long. I just need to clear my head."

He shrugged. "Whatever." I smiled, and led the way to my secret place.

When we wound further and further from the busiest parts of Konoha and closer to the deserted wilderness and private training grounds, I could feel Tanoshii slowing slightly, unfamiliar with the territory and unsure of where I was taking him. "Trust me, I know where I'm going." The hardest part was the steep climb, which was why so few people ever visited this special spot. It's a climb fit for only the stealthiest ninja, ninja who can endure the pain the difficult climb causes.

Halfway up, I heard Tanoshii groan. "How the hell are we getting down from here, exactly?"

I half smiled, but he didn't see it. "Well, you can jump. But it's kind of far down."

"It better be worth it."

"It is."

At the top, I paused and helped Tanoshii up. His face, when he gazed across the never ending skies and the wall that surrounded the ever-so-busy and bustling village and the vast forests that stretched beyond the outside walls, was completely and utterly priceless. I walked nonchalantly to the edge of the Hokage Monument and sat, legs dangling, and soaked up the rays of the late morning sun.

"You weren't lying when you said it was worth it," Tanoshii whispered as he staggered over and joined me, only he didn't dangle his legs over the edge. His discomfort was noticed.

"Naruto has known about it for a while," I said, my eyes closed as I continued to bask in the sun's glorious rays. "Me and Prin found out about it from him about a year ago. Now we come up here all the time and just talk." I opened one eye and peeked over at him. His eyes were closed, too. "It is a great place to just sit and think." I laid back and let the warmth of the sun's penetrating rays relax and soothe my sore muscles. I had to admit the warmth of the familiar place did seem to make my anger fizzle away, though not completely.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" I didn't open my eyes, but I was slightly surprised by Tanoshii's question.

"No, Tano-kun. I am not mad at you." And it was the truth. I hated myself almost as much as I hated Neji. But I didn't want to feel any more anger towards anyone. Damn Hyuuga just made it terribly hard not to. It was giving me a throbbing headache. I'm tired of all the mixed signals and being confused.

"You know, I'm here for you whenever you need me, right?" I looked at him and arched a brow. "For whatever that may be... Prin's not the only good listener. And I'm not as dumb as I look, honest." I giggled at his discomfort. His friendship was a special thing, something I needed to take advantage of more often. Tanoshii is a trustworthy teammate, but I don't believe I should share anything between me and Neji and especially not Togaru. I can't have him looking at his teammate differently, or in any way that would alter our function as a team.

"You're a great friend, Tanoshii-kun. I appreciate that." His cheeks flushed and he chuckled like a moron. I nudged him with my shoulder.

That's when I felt it.

I jumped to my feet and immediately started scanning Konoha for the source of the immense chakra I was feeling. Tanoshii had frozen stiff, a look of horror on his face as his eyes too scanned for anything suspicious. This chakra was unfamiliar and powerful enough to knock you over; a possibly fatal threat. I grabbed Tanoshii roughly by the collar and jerked him to his feet without protest.

"W-what…" I was incapable of forming a complete phrase to describe the power that I felt. My heart thudded against my chest.

"There!" I followed to where Tanoshii was pointing and what I saw made me gasp. Smoke shrouded heavily what looked to be the roof of Konoha's hospital, and the heat and power that radiated from the location lead me to believe it to be the result of some sort of fire technique. I squinted, but failed to make out a clear assessment of what was cloaked behind the mass of smoke. There was something eerily familiar about the chakra, but I couldn't put a finger on what it was.

I bent my knees and pivoted on my right foot so that my left foot was on the very edge of the Hokage's head and I prepared to launch off. Tanoshii grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?" he asked frantically, his voice edgy and panicked. I pulled my arm from his grasp.

"I've got to check this out." I couldn't hear his voice as I pounced forward, the only sound obstructing my hearing being the sound of wind rushing past my face as I made my descent to the ground. With my chakra readied at the pads of my feet, I bounded off of the face of the cliff and through the trees as fast as I could manage.

I ducked around the back of the buildings and stuck to the alleys – a much quicker way to my destination. As I progressed toward the hospital, I became aware of the sound of rushing water. _Water? _I thought. _Where could it be coming from..? _

When I came to the hospital, I found the source of the running water. Atop the hospital were two water towers, one of which appeared to be busted completely open and gushing what was left of its supply down to the ground below. I glanced up just in time to see The Uchiha retreating down the rooftop, not bothering to pay me any attention. Typical.

Obviously whatever had gone on atop the roof was under control. I could hear Naruto's voice even from so far below, his tone defensive and exasperated. I sighed and shook my head. "When will you learn, Naruto-kun?" Leaving the situation to itself, I stepped away from the hospital and started back toward my apartment. _Naruto has some explaining to do, _I smirked. If the situation was what I believed it to be, it was something that was very much anticipated by everyone who knew anything of the two ninja. The constant bickering and growing tension were bound to boil over at some point and I guess this was the point.

Naruto may be dense, but he's not a complete idiot, especially when it comes to battle. I can't see him not putting up a decent fight for the academy's honor student, though neither I could see would be willing to accept defeat. It'd be a fight to see, no matter the "advantage" that The Uchiha may be believed to withhold over Naruto. When I see Naruto, I see a skillful ninja with more heart and willpower than anyone of his caliber. However, he does have a lot to learn. I thought back to the busted water tower. It was undoubted that it must've taken an incredibly powerful attack to puncture a water tower so severely.

This left me wondering about only one thing. _Who made the hole? Sasuke or Naruto?_

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**Chapter 19 coming soon. I've got a plan for the Sasuke Retrieval Arc I'm pretty content with, but I may have to write it out and mull it over some more. Again, apologies for the incredibly long delay. I adore you all. 3**


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